Parents/Guardians

Girls are more likely to play sports if they see their parents playing. And, by listening and understanding how your daughter feels about sport, you can help advocate on her behalf to make sure she has a positive experience. Here are some suggestions on how you can better understand your daughter’s experience and keep her playing:

PARENTS AND GUARDIANS CAN…

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    Ask

    Check in with your daughter on how her practice or competition went. Take the focus off results and ask about how she felt about the experience. Ask her if she enjoyed her practice, what was her least favourite part or biggest challenge. You can also check in and ask how she feels about sport in general, whether her friends play sport, and whether she wants to participate.

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    Reflect

    After listening to your child, consider how you might better advocate for her with coaches or administrators to improve her experience. Do you need to be involved, or can you encourage her to advocate for herself?

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    Observe

    Pay attention to the role models your daughter sees. Does your daughter see women in leadership roles? If not, can you get involved or do you know someone else who could? For more on mentorship, check out the Female Coach Mentorship model, which offers some general guidance and tips on mentor relationships.

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    Learn

    Do you know what motivates your daughter to keep playing? Do you know what injuries and barriers to watch out for? Learn how what a safe, strong, supportive sport environment looks like based on research conducted with girls by taking the Keeping Girls in Sport e-module.

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    Read

    The Rally Report explores current Canadian trends in sport participation with a specific focus on the target groups of girls ages 6–18. Read the report to understand what girls told us about the biggest barriers and benefits to their participation, and leverage the facts to advocate for better programming.

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    Watch

    In our Get in the Game Rally, hosted in partnership with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and Homestand Sports, Olympians Sarah Nurse, Brigitte Lacquette, Rosie MacLennan, and Annie Guglia, Paralympian Marissa Papaconstantinou, and WNBA player Kayla Alexander share their sport journeys and advice for young girls in sport.

  • Have another thought or resource to share?

    Please reach out to Canadian Women & Sport at info@womenandsport.ca!