‘Making sport fun again’ is the goal of a free online workshop for Latrobe Valley community sporting groups next month.
GippSport will deliver a Positive Coaching Workshop to help build the capacity of community coaches and clubs to provide engaging environments for youth participants.
It follows the successful delivery of an initial workshop in Morwell in February and is supported by the Latrobe Health Assembly through the Increasing Access to Sport Project, an initiative of the Latrobe Health Innovation Zone which aims to identify and address key barriers to sports participation for members of the Latrobe City community aged 12-18 years.
GippSport Community Solutions Senior Consultant Michelle Harris said project data indicated that social and psychological pressures of sport were as relevant among young people as structural and environmental barriers.
“As much as young people told us they were time poor and that sport was too expensive, they also said other factors such as a lack of confidence, limited playing time and the sideline behaviour of coaches and parents had an impact on their enjoyment of club sport,” Ms Harris said.
“Offering further education and training for volunteers around the varying motivations and challenges they are likely to encounter among their sporting participants can only improve the environment they are providing and increase the chances of attracting and retaining members long term.”
The workshop is part of a series of potential solutions prepared by the project team based on extensive consultation with the Latrobe Valley sporting and wider communities last year.
Several other solutions trials are currently on hold due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community sport.
Proposed solutions range from exploring social formats of traditional club sports to initiatives tackling issues such as financial challenges and transport.
The Positive Coaching Workshop takes place online on Monday, 1 June, with registrations at www.trybooking.com/bjoil
For more information on the Increasing Access to Sport Project, visit www.gippsport.com.au or contact Community Sport Planning Officer Damen Francis at damen@gippsport.com.au
