Home > Resources > Parent Education

Parent Education

"Are you a good soccer parent - Positive, Supportive?"

Feature Article

Beware of Tournamentitis

Articles/Resources and Descriptions

• Player Development verus Team Performance - Written by Illinois State Director of Coaching

• Ten Things Other Parents Want You To Know About Club Soccer - Breaks down the issues a family should consider when trying to decide if premier level club soccer is right for you!

• The Scholarship Divide - A New York Times article about the misconceptions of college scholarships.

• Reviving the Pickup Game - Soccer America article about the changes in our culture that have taken the 'pickup' game away the reasons we should be what we can to bring it back!

• Give Us Back Our Game! - Website that focuses on giving the game of soccer back to the kids.

• Beware of Tournamentitis - A great article from Soccer America that addresses the amount of games youth soccer play versus should play. 

• Motivation is More Than Just a Question of Winning and Losing! -

• US Youth Soccer National Academy - Utopian soccer environment for our children

• PACT (Parents and Coaches Together)
  Website explaining a program to help create a better environment for players to learn and grow.  BUSC is exploring the application of PACT into its program.
• NSCAA Soccer Journal, Dr. Jay Martin
  Website with discussion board - The editorial contends that the soccer culture in this country causes problems with our efforts in developing our top young players.
• Athletes for a Better World
  Website - Fantastic resource for creating a better world through youth sports!
• DOC - Article on How to Evaluate a Youth Soccer Game
  PDF - One page article from Tom Garigen, BUSC's director or coaching, about how to evaluate a youth soccer game.
• Get Psyched Sports
  Website - Advocating For a Written Sport Psychology Curriculum for Youth and School Sports Teams
• How Much is Too Much Soccer
  PDF - Overuse injuries and burnout all result from too many games and not enough rest.
• CNN Kids Need More Time for Play
  PDF - Less organized activities and more spontaneous play is important for human development.
• Pressure in Kids Sports
  PDF - Pressure from parents on their children to compete and win is causing more kids to leave the game.
• USSF Best Practices
  PDF - Recommendations from US Soccer on how to run a proper youth soccer program
• Finding the Right Sport
  PDF - Healthy recommendations on when to start your kid in sports and other guideline to consider
• Burnout and Overuse Injuries
  PDF - Another article on overuse injuries and burnout all result from too many games and not enough rest.
• Letter to Parents from Coach
  PDF - A good preseason "code of conduct" for parents to sign that explains how to be a good sport parent
• Through Childs Eyes
  PDF - Advice on how to be a good sport parent
• Top Ten Issues For Sports Parents
  PDF - A great top ten list for parents to read about being a good sport parent
• Center for Sports Parenting
  Website - The Center for Sports Parenting is in the process of revamping our website. Stay tuned for the launching of a comprehensive website that will feature the reasoned advice of such experts as Sports Parenting pioneer Rick Wolff, acclaimed Psychologist Dr. Darrell Burnett, acclaimed Coach and Motivational Speaker Susan Summons, former NBA star and author Bob Bigelow, and former Olympian Erica Wheeler. The revamped website is being prepared to coincide with the publication of Volume I of Institute founder and executive director Dan Doyle's The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting.
• Citizenship Through Sports Alliance
  Website - The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance is the largest coalition of professional and amateur athletics organizations in the United States, focused on character in sport. CTSA promotes fair play at all levels - youth leagues to professional sport - to reinforce the value of sport as a test of character. Since 1997, CTSA has been building a sports culture that encourages respect for self, respect for others, and respect for the game.
• Positive Coaching Alliance
  Website - Positive Coaching Alliance, a national non-profit based at Stanford University, is creating a movement to transform the culture of youth sports so that every youth athlete can have a positive, character-building experience.
• Bob Bigelow
  Website - Bob is one of the foremost youth sports speakers in the country. He advocates fully meeting the needs of children as the top priority in youth sports programs, and provides new approaches for positive change in youth sports.
• National Alliance for Youth Sports
  Website - The National Alliance For Youth Sports, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization seeks to make the sports experience safe, fun and healthy for ALL children. In addition, NAYS promotes the value and importance of sports and physical activities in the emotional, physical, social and mental development of youth. The Alliance believes that participation in sports and activities develops important character traits and lifelong values. In addition, NAYS believes that the lives of youngsters can be positively impacted by participation in sports and physical activities if the adults involved have proper training and information.
• Athletes for a Better World - Code for Living
  PDF - A Code for Living generated by the Athletes for a Better World Organization.
• Parent Pledge
  PDF - A parent pledge that they will be a good soccer parent
• Self-Recruiting
  Website - a book you can purchase that guides you through how to recruit yourself into college.
• Transcending speech about youth sports
  YouTube Video - Hockey coach talks about parents and their misconceptions / transcends to soccer or any youth sport
• Learning Versus Winning
  PDF - US Soccer Article on when and where and how to talk about winning in player development
• Positive Parenting
  PDF - USYSA guide to be a good soccer parent
• Parent Games
  PDF - Excellent article about parents allowing their children to fail in order to succeed
• Assuring Children Fun and Equal Opportunity
  Website - Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal article on keeping the game in perspective
• Winning! How Important Is It in Youth Sports?
  Website - Great article on how winning is only important to the adults and that there are other ways to make our kids feel good about themselves in competitions besides the results.