South Melbourne FC promotes good sportsmanship amongst Juniors
Last updated: Wednesday March 10, 2010 11:39AM
Cameron Wood with South Melbourne FC Juniors at Bob Jane Stadium.
A group of South Melbourne FC Junior players attended a photo shoot at Bob Jane Stadium with Collingwood Football Club ruckman, Cameron Wood, to promote good sportsmanship.
Wood highlighted the importance of being a "good sport", no matter what game you play.
“Whatever sport you’re into, learning to be a ‘good sport’ - teamwork, winning and losing with good grace, communication, social interaction - not only makes playing more enjoyable, but are essential life-skills. It’s great to see a competition which actively promotes and encourages these values.”
New research has revealed the majority of parents in Victoria (67%) believe sportsmanship values are essential life-skills, which should be taught from a young age.
To help encourage children to be "good sports", South Melbourne FC’s Director of Football, Ange Dallas, has developed these top five tips for parents:
- Call out words of encouragement such as “Great play!” or “Nice job!”. Yelling negative comments or scowling from the sidelines is not good sportsmanship. Provide praise not only for your child, but their teammates and opponents.
- Explain the concept of teamwork and reinforce the importance of all team members working together to form a stronger and more effective team.
- Try not to openly berate, tease or demean athletes, coaches or referees in any environment, be it while watching TV or attending a sporting event.
- Focus on the effort, not the mistakes. Mistakes will happen, and games will be lost. Use it as a learning experience and offer support and assistance during practice before the next game.
- Ultimately, we foster good sportsmanship when we encourage children to just have fun and enjoy the game, whether they win or lose.
For more news from South Melbourne FC, visit their website: www.smfc.com.au.
Back