“Save Football”, a stamp to teach match by match

This sports coach trained in communication and advertising recalls that “children copy many behaviors of reference figures and are like sponges” and this is why they imitate their parents and their instructors when faced with the first frustrations, victories or defeats. “If they kick the benches or shout at a referee, they have seen it, and it is resolved at eight years old, not at 30 years old,” he warns, because “the problem grows with the child.” In short, it is about changing the dynamic by partnering with parents – and avoiding the mythical lament of “they should come educated from home” – and also with coaches, taking advantage of “this leadership role” thanks to which sometimes the little ones “pay more attention” to them than to their parents. “There are parents and coaches who will never change, but we can reward those who do,” Godoy said.

“Save Football” thus offers “tools” to these two reference figures and “prestige” to the clubs which dare to implement it, as a guarantee of ethical and educational standards. In a few months, around fifty teams have joined the network, which also represents 20,000 fathers and mothers. “It’s hard to put psychology into football, but once you get started, they are delighted and surprised because they see that behavior in the stands and in the locker room is improving,” says Godoy.

The training is prepared and reviewed by a group of experts and works a lot in “mirror” and what adults project onto children. Thus, it includes two online coaching and psychology courses for each of these two profiles: parents can complete it in a few afternoons and with a questionnaire; It will take five coaches, depending on the theme per session, to pass a final check. The commitment the team makes to sign up to the ‘Save Football’ banner is that 90 per cent of coaches have completed the training and access is given to all parents of their young players.

In Castilla y León, and after hearing about the idea during the presentation of a book, the first team to take the train was that of Ávila, the Piedralaves Sports Club, in the town of two thousand inhabitants of the same name, Valle del Tiétar. In 2019 they recovered “senior” football and have been working with school football for three years: “It was a clear commitment to municipal management and sport,” explains Germán Ulloa, mayor of the city and coordinator of the club. He describes a very significant growth during which they went from thirty schoolchildren to fifty boys and girls, and even exceeded a hundred. They have three municipal coaches who also prepare a multitude of sports activities and have “first-class facilities”, which attract families from neighboring municipalities such as Gavilanes, Mijares, Casavieja, La Adrada and Santa María del Tiétar.

But all this means that what was initially “an oil pond” has become more complex. “The number of children has increased and so have the problems,” recognizes the councilor, who knows that it is common for “a voice to be heard in a somewhat tense party”. “It’s becoming widespread and it’s not good,” he emphasizes. This is why the seal represents “a shield, but it also implies that we are all involved in the success of this project”, he underlines.

As if this approach were staged, last Saturday December 13, Piedralaves organized an official presentation with the ‘Save Football’ team. They invited not only the players and their parents, but also grandparents, uncles or brothers “so that they can see what this agreement means and its weight”, underlines Ulloa. At the Piedralaves Sports Club, they manage an entire family and educational “network” that goes beyond the ball. “We know that we are going to make mistakes, but we have decided to invest to try to do as little as possible,” concludes the mayor.