The Bill of Rights for Young Athletes

1. Right to participate in sports

2. Right to participate at a level commensurate with each child’s maturity and ability

3. Right to have qualified adult leadership.

4. Right to play as a child and not as an adult

5. Right of children to share in the leadership and decision-making of their sport participation

6. Right to participate in safe and healthy environments

7. Right to proper preparation for participation in sports

8. Right to an equal opportunity to strive for success

9. Right to be treated with dignity

10. Right to have fun in sports

    Reprinted with permission from Guidelines for Children’s Sports, R. Martens and V. Seefeldt (Eds.)., Washington, D.C. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 1979.

    Strategies for Coaches

    • View parents as partners not adversaries

    • The coach who establishes a positive relationship with parents will find that the program will run more smoothly with fewer confrontations.

    • Ultimately the athletes benefit from the positive relationships between the parent and the coach.

    • Coaches have a responsibility to build positive relations with parents.

Strategies for Parents

• YOU are your child’s primary role model

• YOU play a crucial and significant role in your child’s athletic development

Strategies for Clubs - establishing parent expectations and boundaries

• Provide educational materials and documentation to engage parents.

• Create, educate and distribute ethical behavior guidelines for all members within the club.

• Establish a neutral forum for mediation to handle potential issues and conflicts.

• Clearly identify volunteer tasks and requirements, match the volunteer to the task and provide training

Leadership solutions!

Through improved education and communication, the partnerships between the parent, club and coach can be enhanced, culminating in nurturing sports environments for children while fostering life-long participation and a healthy life style.

For assistance contact: education@ussa.org