Protecting Young Athletes: Starting Crucial Conversations for Safety and Well-Being

Building a Safer Sports Environment: Conversations That Protect and Empower Young Athletes

Health and well-being are often things adults prioritize at the start of every new year, but what about the youngest among us?

For those with children in sports or thinking about joining organized athletic activities, it’s never too early to find age-appropriate ways to start talking with your young athlete about positive behavior in sport settings. While these conversations can help prevent abuse and other forms of misconduct, they also support crucial life skills like establishing healthy boundaries.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport is the first national organization in the world dedicated to preventing and responding to abuse within the Olympic and Paralympic movement. But, we cannot do it alone. Shifting sport culture is going to take all of us. The good news is that sport safety can start with something as simple as a conversation—even with kids 5 and under.

Based on the Center’s Parent and Guardian’s Handbook for Safer Sport, here are tangible ways you can talk about boundaries and introduce simple rules related to sport participation with your young athlete.

Tell your child you value their safety first. If a coach does something that hurts their feelings, hurts them physically, or makes them feel uncomfortable, encourage them to tell you (or another trusted adult) as soon as they can.
Talk about other adults in their world they consider “safe.” This helps your child feel comfortable sharing concerns with another trusted adult if you are not available. In some families, these may be aunts, uncles, or grandparents. For others, a trusted adult might be a best friend’s parent, a teacher, caregiver, or pediatrician.
Ask open-ended questions that can draw out detailed answers. In other words, instead of questions that can be answered with yes or no, ask questions such as “What was your favorite/least favorite part of practice?”

When we establish an open dialogue, kids know they can come to us early and communicate safely. Remember that you don’t have to tackle everything at once. In fact, it’s best to make a commitment to start smaller conversations over the course of time.

Communicating about Emotional Misconduct

Reinforce that a coach may criticize a specific behavior—a kick, a catch, a run—but should never criticize the child personally.
Teach your child the difference between helping words (such as “you can do it” or “great job trying”) and hurting words (such as “you’re stupid” and “you can’t do anything right”).
Tell them they should let you know if a coach uses hurtful words when they talk to them.

Communicating about Physical Misconduct

Talk about physical boundaries with your child before they attend their first class/practice. That includes boundaries between themself and other players as well as the coach.
Discuss disciplinary techniques that you as a parent consider inappropriate (such

as denying a water break as punishment). Tell your child you would want to know if another adult used those on them. This helps them feel comfortable coming to you when something a coach does feels wrong.

Help your child understand that making behavioral mistakes (such as not following rules) is different from making skill-related mistakes. They should not be punished for trial and error when learning new skills.

Communicating about Sexual Misconduct

Talk about what to do if a coach or older kids ask your child to keep something a secret from you or other trusted adults. Encourage them to tell you, even if the secret is something they feel confused or ashamed about.
Discuss boundaries with your child about who should be touching them and when. Example: “It’s okay for the doctor to look at your private parts during an exam when I’m there, but it’s not okay for anyone else to do that.”
Use the correct names for body parts when talking with your child and encourage them to use those names as well.
Remind your child that nobody should be touching their private parts (even if they ask), not even their friends.
Monitor the relationship of coaches or older kids taking special interest in your child, to spot potential grooming behaviors.

The Center has a wealth of educational tools and resources on abuse prevention for kids and parents. While the guidance above is geared toward children 5 and under, we also offer additional resources on how to talk to children age 6-12 and 13 and older.

Report here to the U.S. Center for SafeSport if you have experienced abuse or misconduct—or if you have reasonable suspicion of abuse or misconduct—inflicted by someone in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. You can also call the Center at: 833-587-7233.

Ju’Riese Colón is the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the nation’s only nonprofit organization committed to ending all forms of abuse in sport. As CEO, Ju’Riese leads the strategic vision and direction of the organization to ensure every athlete is safe, supported, and strengthened through support. An experienced child advocate who serves as an expert on issues related to child safety, Ju’Riese has led prevention and outreach initiatives with youth-serving organizations serving families, educators, law enforcement, and diverse communities. She earned bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and Spanish from Virginia Commonwealth University.