WWPIS August Newsletter

Dear Subscriber,

We hope this edition of the newsletter finds you well and you have all been enjoying the action from Paris. Once again the sport was a wonderful spectacle and it was great to see not just the action, but also hear about the individual stories behind all the successes and the disappointments.??

Families and parents were often such a key part of the narrative and we must continue to do all we can to help support parents on the journey allowing them to play their part in creating the best environments around their young people to allow them to thrive both in and out of their sport.

July is traditionally one of the quietest months here at WWPIS, certainly a case of the ‘calm before the storm’. However, we still managed a few live visits as well the first of our football academy sessions for 2024-25 in the Football League.

This month has seen us forge a number of new partnerships, some of which will be announced shortly, visit Leicester Tigers for the first time and put some exciting plans in place for content for our members.

As the WWPIS brand continues to grow, live and virtual session slots are being heavily booked months in advance.? With annual memberships guaranteeing a? live or virtual slot, this option is proving very popular with organisations allowing them to build a consistent and sustainable programme with us.

The Parents in Sport podcast this month saw us joined by sports psychology consultant Chris Shambrook to discuss the Olympics, High Performance and Supporting Young Athletes.

You can find out more about some of these items in this month’s newsletter.

BATH RUGBY VISIT

Our annual live visit to Bath Rugby saw us deliver sessions to the new U16 parents whilst also catching up with the U18 parents as they enter their final year of junior rugby.

It was particularly enjoyable seeing the U18 parents who have been involved in a number of sessions with us throughout their time in the academy delivered by both myself and Sarah Murray as well as welcoming a host of new parents into the programme.

The consistency of these sessions has undoubtedly helped build confidence and positive relationships, allowing real honesty and great conversations to take place.

Sessions with the club are always incredibly well attended and this is a testimony to the parents who are so keen to help support their young men and the club who place such an emphasis on building high quality relationships in the environment.

We are now looking forward to some virtual delivery throughout the season ahead.

LEICESTER TIGERS VISIT

What an excellent first couple of sessions with the Leicester Tigers U17 and U18 Academy parents at their training ground this week as we took a look at 'Sports Performance Parenting.'

Incredible attendance from both groups of parents with plenty of honesty, laughs and interactions as we explored the complexities of being a sports parent to young performers with high ambitions.

Looking forward to visiting again later in the season to discuss the topic of 'Managing Disappointment' with our young people when it comes to their sport, always such a challenging time for sports parents but so important to try and support in a healthy way that allows them to learn, progress and thrive from these moments.

LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION? - STOCKPORT COUNTY

Stockport County kicked off the 2024-25 football academy season for us here at WWPIS running a session for the new parents joining their academy.

Our partnership with League Football Education continues to thrive and with all the bookings currently in the diary we are on course to work with 0ver 40 clubs across the Football League this coming season breaking all previous records.

Stockport County has been a regular staple in the programme over the last couple of seasons and as we continue to build positive relationships with staff across the football clubs it is undoubtedly helping us to tailor and build the most powerful and impactful sessions that we can.

SPOND OPPORTUNITY

Our primary partners at Spond strive to simplify administrative tasks for coaches and parents in sporting programmes.?

Spond is a free app and club management solution, created to simplify how people manage their clubs, teams and groups in a safe and stress-free way, no matter the activity or sport. Almost 3 million people including coaches, club admins, members, and parents across thousands of clubs, are actively using Spond every month. The app fully supports the management of all sports and activities, offering events, communications, payments, fundraising and other features.

Our collaboration with them extends this commitment, helping us to support a lot of the NGBs, clubs, coaches and parents that we work with not just with administration, but also in safeguarding, communication, and compliance.”

If you would like to check it out and see how Spond may be able to help support you, then click on the QR code above to register for free.

As a valued member of the WWPIS community, if you would like to have a personal meeting with Spond to discuss both the app and club management system then email us at workingwithparentsinsport@gmail.com and we will help facilitate this for you.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS

It is great to have onboard a large number of annual members here at WWPIS and we have been tasked with creating badges for organisations to put on their own websites/platforms to show our working partnership together.

This model has proved hugely successful across the world in 2023 for National Governing Bodies, Sporting Organisations, Clubs and Schools.

The benefits of an Annual Membership include ongoing consultancy and an opportunity to really embed continued support within existing programmes as opposed to one hit wonders which we know don't always have the greatest impact.

Annual Membership also includes discounted rates for access to the WWPIS platform and all of our resources which can also act as a revenue stream for organisations.

The most important benefit of an Annual Membership is that it will give you priority on securing dates for live workshops and webinars. WWPIS has become a world leading brand in this space and securing dates and times to suit is becoming more of a challenge and we never want to let people down.

If you would like to discuss options that may be available to you or would like to set up an annual membership then please email me personally at gordon@wwpis.co.uk.

PARENTS IN SPORT PODCAST - CHRIS SHAMBROOK

In this 'Olympic Special' sports psychology consultant, speaker and author Chris Shambrook joins Gordon MacLelland to discuss the Olympic Games, High Performance and Supporting Young Athletes.

During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:

• Chris' reflections on his Olympic Journey supporting world class performers
• Life behind the scenes of high performing teams
• Being curious about the information we hear as sports parents
• Strategies for helping to support young high performers
• Recognising every child is different and ensuring co-collaboration with our children
• Helping our children intelligently define failure
• The dangers of 'Silver Bullets' of advice
• Personal highlights of the Olympics so far

To listen to the episode click here.

WORKSHOP AND WEBINAR MENU

These sessions can be for management, performance staff, coaches, parents, parent-coaches and young athletes depending on individual needs and requirements.

The options above show what is currently available for both live and virtual delivery.?

If you would like to find out more or to request a specific workshop or package then please email workingwithparentsinsport@gmail.com.

To read our interactive brochures which give a good overview of all of our services please click here.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

We are taking face to face bookings and virtual bookings for the remainder of 2024 and now into 2025.

August, September and October are practically FULL with just a couple of dates remaining.

November, December and January dates are going fast and we are now encouraging people to plan and get dates in the diary well in advance, to ensure we don’t let people down.

Virtual and face to face engagements are already in the diary including dates with Bath Rugby, Leicester Tigers, Scottish Curling, Scottish Hockey, West Ham United, Cardiff City, Swansea City, Edinburgh Academy, Glasgow Academy, George Watson’s, Broughton School, Stoke City, Burnley, South Essex Gymnastics Club, Warrington Gymnastics Club and many more…..

Please contact gordon@wwpis.co.uk or call us directly on (+44) 7897517671 if you would like to discuss specific requirements or make a booking.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2024

We are seeing increasing interest from Sponsors wishing to work alongside the amazing projects that we have created here at WWPIS and are looking forward to making some exciting announcements very soon.

“Aligning with WWPIS has been a real success story for Spond, underscoring our commitment to fostering positive relationships among sporting organisations, coaches, and parents. Through our combined efforts, we aim to create a safe and fun environment for everyone involved in grassroots sport at the junior level.

“This partnership is not just about improving safeguarding and best practice, but also about strengthening the community around grassroots sport, and we’re excited for further initiatives we will roll out together in the coming year.” (Spond CEO Trine Falnes)

If you are interested in the following then we may be the partnership opportunity for you:

• Increased brand visibility and exposure to our extensive network of parents, coaches, and sports organisations
• Association with a trusted and influential brand dedicated to promoting positive youth sports experiences
• Access to our engaged online community and the opportunity to connect directly with your target audience
• Enhanced reputation through our support and endorsement, showcasing your commitment to youth sports development.
• Customised sponsorship packages and marketing support to align with your business objectives and maximise return on investment.

You can request our latest Sponsorship pack by emailing sponsorship@wwpis.co.uk

MONTHLY FEATURES

Some of our featured pieces (click on the titles to be taken to the web page) published in the last month on the website include:

Daring to try, fail and try around

How can you help your child prepare for their big sports event?

Medications in Sport - What parents need to know?

Our social media posts have included:

• VIDEO - ‘Parenting a perfectionist athlete’

• PODCAST - ‘The Coaching Badges Podcast’

• INFOGRAPHIC- ‘How and why do coaches select a team’

We hope that you have enjoyed this edition of the newsletter.

If you would like to leave us any feedback, a review either on the website or on facebook, or even contact me directly on gordon@wwpis.co.uk about any aspect of our work then we would love to hear from you.

Gordon MacLelland CEO