Parent education in organized youth sport: Recommendations from parents, coaches, and administrators

Ninety percent of North American youth participate in organized sport during childhood and/or adolescence (Jellineck & Durant, 2004; USDHHS, 2010). Parents are also active participants, exhibiting a range of involvement behaviors over the course of a child\u27s athletic development. As such, organized youth sport provides a common context for family interaction whereby parent behavior can shape the child\u27s developmental experience. As parents continue to invest a growing percentage of family resources into the athletic development and success of their children, the quantity and quality of parental involvement in youth sport has become an important cultural discussion. Although researchers have a systematic understanding of this parent involvement in organized youth sport, there is disconnection in the transfer of that knowledge to parents. Therefore, there is a critical need to provide parents an educational platform informed by evidence-based principles of parenting in organized youth sport. The purpose of the present study was to assess community readiness and best practices for implementing a league-wide parent education program. Through qualitative interviews with league administrators (n = 11), coaches (n = 13), and parents (n = 12) we sought key stakeholder perceptions of core design components of, and barriers to, parent education programming in organized youth sport. Interview data were inductively analyzed and a grounded theory (Corbin & Strauss, 2008) of parent involvement in organized youth sport is offered. In combination with evidence-based parenting strategies offered in the extant sport literature, data from the present research were used to structure and implement a pilot parent education program in Cache Valley, Utah. This research offers educational and leadership opportunities for organizations (e.g., Little League Baseball, Pop Warner Football) at the national and community level. In addition, findings may unencumber coaches and league directors who carry the fiduciary burden of controlling parent behavior in organized youth sport