Positively Impacting The Culture Of Minnesota Youth Soccer
Youth soccer evokes passion and sometimes that competitive passion brings out a negative behavior in players, coaches and even parents. The aspiration to win overshadows and self-control, treating others with respect and encouraging comments – goes out the window. Minnesota Youth Soccer decided to take a stand against the negativity and change the game to be a positive impact for everyone, both on and off the field.
In 2001, the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) implemented OATHS (Outstanding Ambassadors of Teams Honoring Sportsmanship), an encouragement program for U9-U19 travel teams that distinguishes athletes, coaches and spectators for their dedication to good sportsmanship.
The goal of OATHS is to allow players to enjoy the sporting event as well as the total complement of fans, referees and coaches.
An OATHS Evaluation is included on every Competitive Match Report. All referees are asked to complete the evaluation of each team’s players, coaches and fans. Referees are asked if the players are playing within the rules and spirit of the game. Coaches will be evaluated to make sure all players and officials are treated with respect. And fans are expected to support all players, coaches, and referees in a positive manner.
Responses are tabulated and the data analyzed to determine the OATHS winners. The results of the tabulations are used to evaluate overall sportsmanship throughout the state of Minnesota.
Teams receiving the highest accumulated marks over the course of the season are presented with recognition pins, special gifts and a certificate of achievement.
SoccerToday spoke with Steve May, President of Minnesota Youth Soccer Association to learn more about the OATHS Program:
Diane Scavuzzo: What inspired you to start OATHS?
MYSA: OATHS began around the same time that PACT (Parents and Coaches Together) was born. PACT is a research-based program that we offer to club coaches and parents to positively impact the culture in youth soccer. These programs grew out of the research indicating that youth athletes were not getting all the benefits out of their sport experience due to negative aspects of the youth soccer climate that adults create.
Diane Scavuzzo: Why is sportsmanship important?
MYSA: Most would agree that sport participation has the potential to help children develop character and various life skills. Sportsmanship includes qualities like self-control, a sense of fairness, treating others with respect, winning and losing with grace, and honoring the contract with opponents to strive to win. These are qualities that aren’t as easily taught in a classroom or in activities that don’t have a competitive element.
Diane Scavuzzo: Is good sportsmanship often overlooked in today’s youth soccer?
MYSA: There’s a tendency for negative behavior to be overlooked or rationalized when competitive outcomes take precedence over the process. In PACT sessions when we ask adults why research indicates more negative behaviors at higher and older levels of play they answer, “There’s more at stake.” We’d reject the idea that positive sporting behavior should decrease as players and adults become more deeply invested. If sports were actually a character building activity we should see more evidence of that the more dedicated athletes become to their sport. It takes great moral leadership on the part of coaches and parents for sport to realize its potential in that regard.
Diane Scavuzzo: Are sportsmanship goals just for youth soccer players?
MYSA: It would be fantastic if coaches, and families set sportsmanship goals and held each other accountable to them. That’s what the OATHS and PACT programs help to facilitate – not punishment for poor behaviors but how adults can proactively and deliberately create norms on the sideline that support youth development AND competitive results. The goal isn’t to de-emphasize the competitive aspect of sport, but it’s to be more aware of how we frame competition and how our actions can better align with our beliefs about the impact sport can have on our kids.
Diane Scavuzzo: How can youth soccer coaches be good role models for sportsmanship?
MYSA: We can all point to the list of “Don’t . . .” items that tend to make up a written Code of Conduct, but we’d like to spread ideas of how coaches can be proactive in creating a positive environment. Coaches are very influential, not only as role models for youth but also influencers of parent engagement. The best sidelines are ones where the coaches and parents are on the same page in expectations or “norms.” Coach communication to parents can go beyond a single pre-season meeting to keep them updated on what to look for and cheer in games based on what the team has been working on in training.
Diane Scavuzzo: For a coach, the aspiration to win sometimes overshadows the game, how would you like for this award to affect coaching mentality?
MYSA: PACT and OATHS are about awareness and intentionality, turning the hope and faith we have in sport into an action plan with strategies to help sport deliver on its promise to positively impact child development.
Diane Scavuzzo: What would you like for the fans to take into account when cheering?
MYSA: Everyone at a field should wear only one unique hat, or play one role: Coach, athlete, official, or supporter. A supporter refrains from trying to coach, officiate, or direct the players. As guests at a game, they can add great energy and enthusiasm by cheering for things that have JUST happened as opposed to things they WANT to happen. When we cheer in the past tense, not in the future, we allow players to make their own decisions and then cheer to recognize the positive actions we see.
Diane Scavuzzo: Can you comment on the negative reactions players/coaches/fans have to a referee’s decision and how emphasizing sportsmanship can counteract their responses?
MYSA: Minnesota is like most other states in that a large percentage of our youth soccer officials are youth themselves. We need to have the same patience and perspective for referee development that we do for player development. The first couple years a child plays soccer they make all kinds of errors and so it is with officiating. What we need in both cases is to have young people keep coming back so they gain experience and improve. With officials it’s important to create an environment that they will choose to stay in and be motivated to improve. Instead we often chase off first-year officials and instead of getting a second-year official the next season we get another first-year official and it’s a self-defeating cycle. Officials are not the enemy and without them we don’t have a game. It’s not enough just to refrain from yelling at or arguing with them but we should be proactively supporting them. Making a habit of welcoming them to a field and thanking them afterwards would be a good, if minimal, starting point for coaches and parents.
Diane Scavuzzo: Being competitive is a big part of sports; are some players overly competitive? Can a player be both a good sportsman and a top competitor?
MYSA: It’s not a zero-sum proposition where your competitiveness and sporting ethos have to take away from each other. The most admirable athletes are those who have a fierce competitive spirit while maintaining their human spirit. Is Abby Wambach a champion? Is Lance Armstrong? Both have won awards and been the best in the world but only one deserves the title of champion because of how they respected the competitive process and the others involved in the same pursuit.
Diane Scavuzzo: How does OATHS teach life lessons that help youth players when they are off the field?
MYSA: OATHS is recognition for those who have dedicated themselves to a positive sports culture. It may not by itself teach life lessons but we expect that a positive environment will keep kids playing longer so the life lessons sport has the potential to teach can be realized. Both OATHS and PACT represent an investment by a state association that promote the values and norms we’d like to see on youth soccer sidelines.
Diane Scavuzzo: Is this program outside of Minnesota?
MYSA: Both were developed by and for Minnesota Youth Soccer and remain programs focused on the clubs we serve.
Diane Scavuzzo: How many participants have received this award?
MYSA: On average, 65 teams receive an OATH award per year with a fairly equal distribution between boys and girls teams. PACT offers between 35 and 40 sessions per year and certifies an average of 2,500 parents/coaches per year.
Photos Courtesy of Minnesota Youth Soccer Association
