Improving communication and recognising the value of intergenerational relationships to strengthen the family team.
Aims of the Project
- Improving communication and recognising the value of intergenerational relationships to strengthen the family team.
- Putting the fun back into football as a family activity.
- Challenging a bullying culture in the family, on the pitch and in the wider community.
Football can be a daunting challenge for many parents and carers especially those that don’t actively have an interest in the sport and yet they find their children enjoy playing the game in its many forms. Family communication through football can often be stifled by adults’ lack of recognition in that the children’s game is not the adults’ game. It is essential that adults contextualize football through childhood and feel confident trusting children to play their game in safe loosely supervised environments.
Intergenerational relationships can play a vital role in community cohesion and if children are allowed to form circles of trust both young and old generations can benefit in the long term.
Putting the fun back into football as a family activity.
Football can provide families with wonderful memories for life. There are many formats in the game which help children develop their social and technical skills. Family football is a fundamental introduction to a life long love of the game. It is the one area in childhood when football should be focused on fun without expectations.
Challenging a bullying culture in the family, on the pitch and in the wider community.
Football can be a passionate game and often ignites emotions that some of us find difficult to control. Children often mimic poor adult behaviour from the touch line where being angry, frustrated and negative can be considered the norm. This aspect of the game can be positively addressed at a very early age. Families provide a rationale when playing and watching the game together at all levels. When football is played in the wider community families often provide positive support and respect all participants which children instinctively respond to.
