A new campaign launched today by the Children's Coaching Collaborative, 'Play Their Way' champions a 'child-first' approach to sport and physical activity, and pledges to transform the way that young people are coached.
Sport England research shows a post-pandemic drop in the number of children who enjoy the regular exercise they do. Only 47% of children who exercise regularly strongly agree that they enjoy taking part in sport and physical activity and 53% of all children do not get enough exercise*.
Building a grassroots movement to change the way young people are coached, 'Play Their Way' is providing England's 2.6 million coaches resources to help children enjoy being active in their own way and inspire them to stay active for life.
The campaign kicked off with an event in South London at Peckham BMX Club, a shining example of child-first coaching having supported over 2,000 young people since 2004, including Olympic silver medallist Kye Whyte.
"Play Their Way is taking things to the next level," said Whyte. "It's all about making sure kids are getting brilliant coaching. We haven't seen anything like this before. The 'Play Their Way' campaign is great because there are other sports and clubs that can all benefit, we want to talk to coaches and work together to transform the way young people are coached."
"Child-first coaching will look different for each child and young person and coach, but the focus should always be on making sure the kids have the best experience possible. A child-first approach is so important to helping young people stay in sport and physical activity, and gain the benefits that brings in other areas of their lives and which improve their life chances.
CK Flash, Head Coach at Peckham BMX Club, coached Whyte in his younger years and is now his manager.
To launch the new campaign, the club hosted an open participation event for children to express themselves through sport, attended by members of the Children's Coaching Collaborative, and to encourage coaches and activity deliverers to put enjoyment at the heart of their approach.
"Our ethos at Peckham has always been centred on supporting and mentoring young people in our local community, listening to them and understanding their needs. said CK.
"Play Their Way is really important moment for coaching across the nation, focusing entirely on our children and young people and understanding that to get the best out of them. Coaches need to listen to children's voices, embrace their independence, and make each session as fun as possible. Great coaching can inspire a child to stay active for life, that's why we need to put enjoyment at the heart of what we're doing."
'Play Their Way' is funded by Sport England and The National Lottery and is led by the 17 partner organisations that make up the Children's Coaching Collaborative. The campaign aims to improve children's experience in sport and physical activity by transforming coaching and putting the needs of the child first.
This is underpinned by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: The Right to Play, The Right to Develop, and The Right to be Heard.
Sport England Executive Director Phil Smith said: "This campaign is about giving kids a voice and a choice, and positive experiences for children and young people are at the heart of Sport England's Uniting the Movement strategy. It's vital that give our children and young people the chance to shape their sporting experiences, we need to do all we can to inspire young people to get involved in sport and physical activity.
"I'm a coach myself, and we know kids will want to take part if they enjoy it. Our research tells us that for children, 'fun' is the primary reason for taking part in sport and activity, so this is about giving all children the chance to have their say – and play their way."
Heather Douglas, Head of Coaching and Policy at UK Coaching, said: "Coaching is all about relationships. Coaches across the land are doing a fantastic job. They're there on the rainy Tuesday night and the wet Sunday morning.
"Many of our coaches are out there doing this already, and Play Their Way is about giving all coaches the support they need, so they can give children a voice, and a choice in the way they are coached and make sure they have ownership of their journey in sport and physical activity."
To learn more about the campaign, access resources and sign up to join the biggest grassroots movement to transform the way we coach our children and young people visit www.playtheirway.org
*(Over 60 minutes/per day on average is recommended)
