Success through effort
Wednesday 25th January 2012
At the Semi-Final Draw for The Scottish Communities League Cup, details of a new partnership between the Scottish Government, The Scottish Football League and the Winning Scotland Foundation to promote the competition’s values of Respect, Responsibility and Tolerance were launched.
The vehicle that will deliver the aims of the partnership is a Positive Coaching Scotland (PCS) programme at grassroots and senior level in football. The aim of the programme is that through a series of resources and workshops, players and coaches ensure a legacy where The Scottish Communities League Cup’s values have a continual positive impact on the attitude and behaviour of Scotland’s young people.
The workshops will see youth players at senior clubs aged 13-18 from all four senior divisions come together to look at Role Model training, media training and PCS Workshops.
The SFL Newsletter dived deeper to find out more by talking to Programme Director, Tommy Boyle who is a renowned athletics coach with 38 years’ experience of coaching at club, district, national and international level and Programme manager Grant Small.
Boyle said: “This programme is a cultural change programme. At this time, a lot of societal problems are overflowing into sport and the most obvious example of where this happens is in football. This programme is designed to try and tackle a lot of the issues that manifest itself in sport. It is a unique project and working with football, we believe it will make a real difference to the culture within sport.”
Small added, “It is years ahead of the move away from competitive games that happened several seasons ago but it builds on what has been learned from it. The programme is more about important messages and the key influences in a young sportsperson's life.”
“PCS and the SFL are using The Scottish Communities League Cup to add another layer to the programme by using role models at senior clubs that take part in the competition to deliver these messages. Kids aspire to be like their role models and what we have to do is educate the role models so they know the impact they have on children."
Boyle continued: “The learnings then go beyond youth players at clubs and into wider society as the lessons that kids learn through football and other sports are lifted into other areas of life. Sport is the vehicle for the message but it carries into other areas.
“A consequence of this is that Youth football players at a Boys Club level will be included as well as the programme is rolled out across Scotland over the next three years. It goes through Coach Education and the SFA Quality Mark in football, the Bill McLaren foundation in Rugby with Athletics, swimming and other sports being championed by Sportscotland.
“It will be rolled out at every local authority so it does not matter if a child is in football or an after schools club, they will all be involved.”
Small talked about the magnitude of the programme saying: “This programme has an opportunity that no other programme has and that is to impact positively on just about every young person in Scotland.
“It is about how they enjoy their sport, develop in their sport and train, as well as play in their sport. The Scottish Communities League Cup involves footballers from the senior clubs that have players at grassroots level so it can be delivered in many ways at many levels.”
For a country that has produced an outstanding number of Managers and coaches, the duo were asked why the need for change and Boyle replied: “Society has moved on considerably since Scotland were one of the major powers in football in the 1960s and 1970s but sport has lagged behind. This programme is about dragging it forward.
“It is often said we are 10 years behind America in lots of issues and 12 years ago, they recognised problems in their sport and Jim Thomson created the Positive Coaching Alliance as a movement which attempted to transform the culture of youth sports so that all youth athletes have a positive, character-building experience.”
Boyle continued: “The unique thing he did was to keep it simple and that is how it works. It will help young people and more importantly, key influencers such as parents, coaches and clubs. The longer term vision is that we will have a successful nation when it comes to sport.”
Boyle was asked for one key message and he said: “Success through effort. Trying hard to be the best you can be but doing it fairly, responsibly by working for yourself, your colleagues and the game. This is achieved through support from parents and coaches who encourage participants to learn from their mistakes.”
Shona Robison MSP, Minister for the Commonwealth Games and Sport said: “Working with the SFL, Winning Scotland Foundation and with support from the SFA and sportscotland, the practical, coach based philosophy of the PCS programme offers this country a tremendous opportunity to engage all senior players and coaches in the importance of upholding the values of Respect, Responsibility and Tolerance both on and off the football pitch.
“The coming months will now see PCS introduced to the players and coaches of all 42 senior League football clubs in Scotland. Through PCS workshops, the principles of Respect, Responsibility and Tolerance will be further re-inforced among senior players, who as role models can greatly influence the behaviour and attitudes of younger players in the game.”
SFL Chief Executive David Longmuir added: “This season's Scottish Communities League Cup has been one of drama, excitement and sportsmanship. The Scottish Government and the SFL are working hard to promote our message of Respect, Responsibility and Tolerance and this new partnership with PCS further develops these shared values.
"PCS will educate and inspire young footballers to be the best they can be in their football career, not just on the field of play but in the way they conduct themselves and engage with others outside of their Club in their community. I am delighted that experienced and young professionals in the SFL will be able to benefit from this programme."
For more details please visit http://www.winningscotlandfoundation.org/
