STANFORD, Calif. (May 1, 2008) – In a unique initiative designed to get sports parents throughout the country talking about a critical issue facing youth and high school sports – the quality of coaching – Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and eight of the nation's top youth sports organizations – serving more than 5 million youth and high school-aged athletes – today launched a “National Conversation on Good Coaching.”

To jumpstart the Conversation, parents and others concerned with youth sports will receive monthly “Good Coaching Case Studies” through the websites, e-mail newsletters and publications of PCA and the Co-Conveners of the Conversation: Little League International; American Youth Soccer Organization; Institute for International Sport; Michigan State University’s Institute for the Study of Youth Sports; Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.; USA Volleyball; USA Water Polo; and US Lacrosse.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about what constitutes good coaching for youth athletes, partly because people often confuse professional sports and youth sports, which are fundamentally different activities with different goals,” said Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of PCA, a Stanford University-based non-profit dedicated to transforming youth sports. "If we can get people all over the country talking about what constitutes good -- and bad! -- coaching, it will be a major step toward ensuring a positive, character-building environment for youth and high school athletes."

Co-Conveners will roll out the program throughout May and will release a new Case Study each month. Website visitors and e-mail newsletter recipients can “converse” about youth sports issues through the Case Studies blog (www.positivecoach.org/CaseStudies.aspx) and by printing out each Case Study for discussion at youth sports events and organizational meetings throughout the U.S.

“Undertaking this conversation with our fellow Co-Conveners is an honor,” Thompson said. “These organizations have been leaders for years in creating a positive environment for youth athletes and their families. Our jointly convening the conversation means that it truly will be a national conversation with the potential to vastly improve the quality of coaching for youth athletes.”

The first Good Coaching Case Study, “Old Yeller,” can be accessed within the National Conversation section of Positive Coaching Alliance’s website at www.positivecoach.org/GoodCoaching.aspx .

Old Yeller
Coach Coates is a yeller. He yells constantly during practices and games. He yells at his players and criticizes them when they do things wrong. He even yells when they seem to be doing things right. His teams consistently have winning records, and as far as you can tell, the players seem to handle the yelling without getting down on themselves or each other.
• Is Coach Coates a good coach? Why or why not?
• Would you want your child to play for this coach?
• Does his winning record excuse his yelling?
• Would your answer change depending on the age of the athletes?

About Positive Coaching Alliance
Founded as a non-profit within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has the mission of “transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth.” To that end, PCA has conducted roughly 6,000 live group workshops nationwide for more than 300,000 youth and high school sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. Workshop attendees have helped create a positive, character-building youth sports environment for more than 3 million youth athletes.

PCA’s partnership network includes more than 1,100 youth sports organizations, cities and schools. In 2008, PCA will conduct roughly 1,500 live, group workshops across the U.S., while assisting thousands of other individuals via online workshops at www.PositiveCoach.org.

PCA workshops train coaches to be Double-Goal Coaches®, whose first goal is winning and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports. Our sports parent workshops cultivate “Second-Goal Parents,” who leave winning to the coaches and players, while helping their children learn life lessons through sports. Our student-athlete workshops produce “Triple-Impact Competitors,” who work to improve themselves, their teammates, and their sport as a whole.

PCA has the support of elite coaches and athletes on our National Advisory Board (http://www.positivecoach.org/advisoryboard.aspx), including our National Spokesperson, Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.