Our local soccer club faced some pressure recently with lower player participation numbers, fewer available coaches and a more limited budget. The mood dipped. Training sessions were suddenly scrutinised and parents eager to give their kids a leg-up, started looking for what they thought might be superior clubs.
When this type of thing happens, it’s easy to lose sight of the purpose of being in a club or part of a sporting community. Wins and losses take on oversized importance. Suddenly the grass becomes greener – elsewhere.
And yet, resetting the direction of any group is always possible. Indeed months later, our club has bounced back with renewed vigour and it seems to me that the kids are excited to be part of this community again.
So what changed?
Some basic admin and program changes were made, but above all, I think the attitude shifted to being one of improving the experience for the community. By getting back to basics, it feels as though the club is thinking about its role in bringing people together in an activity that we all enjoy.
True value of sport
A report from the University of Bath in the UK showed last year that there’s great value for both kids and parents in local community sports club.
The study found that sports clubs act as ‘community hubs’ and provide families with opportunities to build friendships, share information and connect with each other.
Not only this, parents and guardians become gatekeepers to the on-going involvement of their children in sport and physical activity, and they often possess important technical and transferable skills.
Our research essentially looked at how sport might address this issue [of lost connection during Covid] and build belonging and community engagement.”
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at University of Bath, Haydn Morgan tells The Soccer Pitch Is Green that the research commissioned by a charity called Access Sport focused on how a sense of belonging and community engagement might be enhanced through projects such as their own.
“Much of the impetus for this was Covid-19, and in particular how many young people had lost the confidence to physically connect with their communities after being required to spend all of their time at home,” Morgan says. “Access Sport works a lot with young disabled people, so the issues around lost social connection during Covid were even more acute for this population. So our research essentially looked at how sport might address this issue and build belonging and community engagement.”
The connection felt by children to their local clubs is very high based on the findings of the report, which covered a broad area of the UK including 12 clubs across Bristol, London and Manchester.
The survey data showed that close to 100% of children felt a sense of belonging to their club, while 95% had an emotional connection – which is an outstanding proof point for local sporting clubs looking to share their value.
The results were similar for parents and guardians, with questions relating to a sense of belonging and emotional connection overwhelmingly positive, scoring 91% and 88% respectively.
In addition, parents and guardians felt comfortable, supported and that their child was accepted at the sports club. Again, these are sometimes seen as small things but upon reflection, should really resonate for any parent or guardian in 2025 especially.
This investigation was actually a multi-sport study, but Morgan says the researchers did visit one club in Manchester where football was the focus.
“We saw how this club provided an excellent diversion for young people in the local area to engage in a positive activity, as opposed to engaging in anti-social behaviour in their town,” he says.
Morgan notes that for these clubs it’s not about winning and losing, but rather to provide opportunities for participants to develop and improve their sport skills at their own pace.
And, of course, to facilitate social belonging. Sounds like a simple formula for success.
By JP Pelosi
The Soccer Pitch Is Green 