WWPIS - NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
Gordon MacLelland
CEO at Working with Parents in Sport (WWPIS) - 'Supporting organisations, coaches, parents and children to work effectively together to help young people fulfil their potential both in and out of their sport.'
Dear Subscriber,
We hope this edition of the newsletter finds you all well.
We are finishing the year strongly here at WWPIS with a huge number of live and virtual sessions taking us into December which should see us break all previous annual records. The numbers are impressive and we are looking forward to sharing the impact we have had in 2024 with you next month.
You may notice that our social media channels are a little quieter than normal throughout November and December. Do not panic, we have not disappeared. This is part of our annual plan to ensure that we spend the time creating some new high quality and authentic content for next year and is something we have done consistently over the last few years.
A couple of events over the last few weeks have added further impetus to our work here at WWPIS. We thoroughly enjoyed working with all the parent coaches at Maccabi London FC. These volunteers who give up huge amounts of time do not always get the extra support that they need to navigate the challenging role of being a parent coach and we were delighted to assist.
We also spent time working with the U17 and U19 Badminton England Pathway players around High Performance and specifically around their self-awareness and character traits to help them be the very best versions of themselves both on and off the court. It was great to join up all the dots having worked with management, coaches and parents over the last few years.
Season 5 of the? Parents in Sport podcast finished last month and we are currently recording episodes to be launched early in 2025.
You can find out more about some of these items in this month’s newsletter.
NORTH CAROLINA FUSION
The WWPIS partnership with North Carolina Fusion Soccer continues to flourish as we look to extend our work together to have the maximum impact on the soccer community.
This season continues to see the delivery of several specific and targeted sessions for families across the whole programme alongside sessions for coaches.
Parents and coaches will also be given access to a customised WWPIS/North Carolina Fusion platform, giving unlimited access to all the exclusive content from WWPIS.
It is great to be bringing to the USA what we have learnt from working across Premier League and EFL football academies in the UK as well as a wide range of sports all over the world.
To find out more click here.
PERFORMANCE ATHLETE SERIES
'They say young people don't communicate very well anymore' (not sure who exactly says that, but as always a blanket statement that does not tell the whole truth).'
This was certainly not the case working with the U17 and U19 Badminton England Pathway players this month around High Performance and specifically around their self-awareness and character traits to help them be the very best versions of themselves both on and off the court.
The young adults bought into the session 100%, could not have been more forthcoming with their responses and we all supported each other to create a brilliant learning environment.
A session that included individual work and reflection, pair work and larger group work with no technology could not have gone any better....... not often you can say that!
MACCABI LONDON FC WORKSHOPS
We had an absolutely fantastic evening at Maccabi London FC, one of the highlights of 2024 to date.
Nearly 50 parent-managers in attendance as we waded through elements of great environments, coaching, parenting and supporting young people to develop both on and off the field, all in 90 minutes. We could have chatted for hours!
So much was discussed, so many stories shared, there were plenty of laughs and moments of reflection but above all everyone felt connected to a common purpose.
It was great to spend time informally chatting with coaches as well and sharing resources to benefit them in their own community.
We are looking forward to working with the club and visiting again in the future.
NEW FROM SPOND - LIVE DEMONSTRATIONS
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 [email protected] and we will help facilitate this for you.
They are also running 2 live online product tours/demonstrations each week. It is an opportunity for people to see Spond Club product features and capabilities in action.? Spond hosts them to multiple clubs at any one time and there is always time for questions.?
If you would like to book onto one of these sessions then click on the link below.
https://calendly.com/charlenesponduk/spond-uk-livedemo
ULSTER RUGBY PARTNERSHIP
WWPIS are delighted to announce the launch of a new collaboration with Ulster Rugby.
The aim is to support the organisation, coaches, parents and players to work effectively together so that young players fulfil their potential both in and out of their sport.
In phase one of the project, WWPIS and Ulster Rugby will work together to deliver several specifically targeted and designed workshops over the next year in the performance environment for both parents and coaches.
Gordon MacLelland, CEO of Working with Parents in Sport, said: “I am extremely excited to be working alongside Ulster Rugby to help support them in creating the best possible environment for young players. Everyone has a role to play in this and we are looking forward to working with and learning from key stakeholders to ensure we create the most supportive programmes possible.”
Budge Pountney, Rugby Development Officer at Ulster Rugby said, “Working with Parents in Sport already have established partnerships in the world of rugby with Leinster Rugby, Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby. We are very pleased to add Working with Parents in Sport as part of our holistic approach to creating a rounded athlete within our sport.”
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS FOR 2025
Have you considered signing your organisation up to an annual membership?
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 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 [email protected].
PARENTS IN SPORT PODCAST IN 2024
Season Five of the Parents in Sport Podcast drew to a close last month with our 50th episode and we are excited to announce that Season Six will be kicking off in January 2025 with a whole host of exciting guests.
Throughout 2025 we discussed a whole multitude of topics with experts in their field including authors, coaches, sports parents, sports psychologists, professional sportspeople and even a Michelin starred chef!
Topics included:
To listen to any or all of the episodes in Season 5 click here.
All episodes are also available for download on many leading podcast channels.
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 and is constantly evolving to meet specific needs on the ground.
If you would like to find out more or to request a specific workshop or package then please email [email protected].
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 all of 2025.
January, February and March 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.
Many organisations are now even keeping their dates and booking up to 12 months in advance.
Virtual and face to face engagements are already in the diary including dates with Bath Rugby, Leicester Tigers, Newcastle United, Scottish Hockey, West Ham United, Royal Academy of Dance, Southampton FC, Para Ireland Athletics, Northern Ireland Athletics, Ulster Rugby, Irish Football Association, Meapa Gymnastics, Broughton School, Stoke City, Luton Town, Brentford, Southampton FC, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, South Essex Gymnastics Club, Warrington Gymnastics Club and many more…..
Please contact [email protected] or call us directly on (+44) 7897517671 if you would like to discuss specific requirements or make a booking.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2025
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:
You can request our latest Sponsorship pack by emailing [email protected]
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:
Sleep is your child’s number one recovery tool
A guide for building resilience in young athletes
Choice, voice and crystal balls
Our social media posts have included:
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 [email protected] about any aspect of our work then we would love to hear from you.
Gordon MacLelland CEO