Creating a positive sport culture
POSITIVE: Lead Ambassador Jolene Henry and Tess from For Our Kids with the Youth Ambassadors.
PHOTO: Sport Whanganui
The key to changing negative sports culture is through education. Sport Whanganui is committed to supporting our community to prepare and promote positive change by adopting a proactive approach to this issue.
In 2015 Sport Whanganui engaged with sports codes, schools and community groups to gain some insight into the issues sports were facing in regards to negative behaviour. This consultation process identified some groups that felt they didn't have an issue in their sport. The others who were affected all agreed that there was a need for action to help change the negative sporting culture developing in their sport.
The focus for these codes was to support them, engage with their key stakeholders: athletes, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, fans, and the community in a campaign where everyone became invested in facilitating behaviour change and positive outcomes for their entire community.
What needs to change?
Sport Whanganui's approach to change was to always focus on the positive. How we should act? What we should do? Rather than on the negative - what not to do.
It was from this consultation process that the Community Good Sports initiative was created.
The basic structure of the initiative was to provide direct support, information and resources to any school, sports code or facility that needed to change their sports culture. Most importantly, the support and change had to be unique and appropriate to that specific community group.
Vision: To ensure sporting communities are a positive and supportive place for all to engage in sport and recreation.
Mission: To address negative behaviour by creating consistent systems and promote and support positive sporting experiences for players, coaches, volunteers and officials.
Purpose: To lead and facilitate key partners towards a mutual approach that addresses negative behaviour and values our positive community sport makers.
Sport Whanganui has already engaged with Hockey Wanganui, Wanganui Rugby, Netball Whanganui and Central Football to promote community awareness and promote the initiative through their youth programmes.
"Be a Sport and Just Support" is the slogan the campaign is guided by, with five key points that help build the foundation of the initiative.
¦ They're kids.
¦ Coaches are volunteers.
¦ Refs are human.
¦ It's a game.
¦ Let success be their dream.
We need to ensure we retain, recruit and reward our valuable volunteers so sport can continue to happen in our communities.
So follow the 10 commandments of what it takes to be a Community Good Sport and:
¦ 1. Respect the officials' decisions.
¦ 2. Applaud all competitors and opponents
¦ 3. Provide positive, supportive and motivating comments.
¦ 4. Be thankful to the coaches, umpires and officials who give up their time to help.
¦ 5. Appreciate all levels of sport engagement, regardless of gender, ethnicity or ability.
¦ 6. Remember that the games can be very different to take part in compared with viewing it.
¦ 7. Let players make their own decisions. They learn best from trial and error.
¦ 8. Be well mannered in post event functions and when speaking with stakeholders.
¦ 9. Wait for the half time break in the game to communicate with your players and debrief.
¦ 10. After the game ask questions that allow players to reflect and have them do the talking.
This winter our Sport Whanganui team and our Community Good Sports ambassadors will be out and about in search of teams, volunteers and players who work hard to ensure fair play is part of their game. Prizes will be awarded to individuals that set a good example for their sports community.
We would like to thank For Our Kids, the Youth Committee, the Splash Centre and Jolt Coffee House for supporting this community initiative. A special thanks must also go to Jolene Henry who has been our Lead Ambassador and role model right from the start of the initiative.
So remember, "Be a Sport and Just Support". We will be watching!
For those wishing to recognise any of their local sports coaches or volunteers, you can nominate them through the lotto sport maker website. They could win $2000 dollars worth of sports gear or an ultimate sporting experience. Visit their website: www.lottovolunteers.co.nz and nominate them today.
If you would like to know more about how you could get involved in the 'Community Good Sports' initiative then please contact Jodie Brunger or Clare Lynch @ Sport Whanganui on (06) 349 2300.
By Gemma Bartley with Sport Whanganui
Wanganui Midweek 17/5/17