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From leading on kit design to having their achievements recognised, Natalie Doyle suggests five ways to make your players feel tied to their club’s identity.
One of the main benefits of girls playing team sports is that they feel part of something.
It helps to develop a sense of belonging, which in turn builds confidence. A likely additional benefit is that they will want to stay with a club for longer, because they feel tied with its identity.
So how can you facilitate this sense of belonging? There are many ways this can grow over time but here are some things you might want to try...
Why not let players design the kit, or at least pick the colours? Maybe your girls’ section or team is going to have a different name and they could help decide what it is?
Get them involved with these decisions and see how creative they can be. You could even develop a working group to lead on the design of the new kit and have the girls be part of this.
With their permission, of course. If players see pictures of themselves representing the club, they’ll feel like they are a key part of the team.
Ask someone to volunteer to take some photos during training or on matchdays. Anyone with a smart phone can be a budding photographer and you can get some high-quality images to use around a clubhouse or dressing room, or on social media.
This could be through player-of-the-match awards, praise at training or on matchdays, or as part of an annual presentation evening.
It is important to show players that you see and value the contribution they are making. This doesn’t necessarily need to be for achievement in terms of ability – you might want to recognise players who work hard, are reliable, or who represent the values and ethos of the club.
Be specific with your feedback and tell them exactly why they have been recognised in this way. Girls often like to know why.
Would any of your players like to volunteer to help a younger age group? Would they like to work on some social media content?
Let them take on additional roles in the club, if they want to, and they will feel an increased sense of belonging.
This can start with a small area of responsibility, and, as they feel ready, they grow their responsibilities, which will also result in increased confidence.
Listen to what your players have to say, answer their questions, and take their feedback and opinions on board.
The best way to build relationships is through effective communication, so make this your priority.
Some clubs have introduced youth councils to provide a platform for young people to have input into decision-making within the club.
You could have player representatives from each team that are responsible for contributing to discussions on behalf of their team-mates.
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