Our Mission:
LET THE KIDS PLAY.
FROM THE SIDELINES, I PLEDGE MY UNCONDITIONAL LOVE & SUPPORT.
The Pledge Bracelets
Kids play youth sports to have fun, compete, belong. When that stops, they quit. Yet if they had a succession of coaches who were focused not just on winning but on developing all their players, building confidence and who supported and believed in them, fewer would quit so soon.
What is the Sideline Pledge?
We all want the same things for our kids. For them to grow up to love and be loved, follow their dreams, find success and have fun. Mostly, though, we want them to be happy and healthy.
Step on a sports field and sadly these endearing mindsets of wants routinely get replaced with a razor focus on results outcomes. The definition of success is correlated to numbers on a scoreboard and/or stat books. Unknowingly with fervor, our behaviors transform from loving parents to insecure, ego-driven creatures who breathe obscenities and make unfair comparisons. We reward achievements, demote free play, and instead of enjoying the success and failures that go along with the learning process, we abandon our parental compasses of what we want for our kids at that moment.
The Sideline Pledge is a commitment made by parents who purposely choose to ground their outlook and behavior towards youth sports through unconditional love and support
It’s a declaration stating you will:
REMAIN POSITIVE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE GAME.
It’s an affirmation stating you will:
NOT SCREAM, YELL, DIRECT, CRITIQUE, BERATE, OR SHAME PLAYERS, COACHES AND REFEREES.
It’s an admission stating you will:
PLEDGE TO ACT IN THE MANNER TO WHICH YOU EXPECT YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER WILL WHEN THEY ARE PARENTS.
It’s a pledge stating you:
TO YOURSELF, YOUR KIDS, THE PLAYERS, THE COACHES, THE OPPOSING TEAM, THE REFEREES, AND THE PEOPLE ATTENDING THE GAME.
Parents who make the pledge, believe a win is when their kids have a fun experience where they competed, learned, and are excited to further engage in the sport and not what the scoreboard says.
Fun is, and should always be, at the heart of youth sports.
The Sideline Pledge was designed by a parent, approved by a coach, and dedicated to our kids.
