At Tiny Tekkers, we believe sport is about so much more than just winning. It’s about building character, teaching valuable life lessons, and helping children grow into confident, well-rounded individuals. One of the most important lessons we can teach kids through sport is respect—respect for their teammates, their opponents, their coaches, and themselves. But it doesn’t end when the final whistle blows. Teaching respect both on and off the field is key to raising children who can navigate the world with kindness, fairness, and empathy.
In this week’s blog, we’ll explore why respect is so important in youth sports, how it can be taught effectively, and how both coaches and parents play a vital role in instilling this crucial value in children.
Why Respect Matters in Sport and in Life
Respect is at the heart of all healthy relationships, whether on the field or in everyday life. In sport, respect creates a positive environment where children can feel safe, valued, and supported. It encourages fair play, good sportsmanship, and teamwork, all of which are essential for success both in sport and in life.
When children learn to respect their coaches, teammates, and opponents, they’re developing the ability to empathise with others and understand different perspectives. They’re also learning the importance of playing by the rules, showing good sportsmanship, and handling both victory and defeat with grace. These are skills that will serve them well far beyond the football pitch or rugby field.
But respect doesn’t stop when the game ends. The lessons children learn in sport can have a lasting impact on how they treat others in their day-to-day lives. Respect helps them build strong friendships, handle conflicts maturely, and navigate social situations with confidence and kindness.
The Role of Coaches in Teaching Respect
As a coach, you’re not just teaching kids how to kick a ball or score a goal—you’re teaching them how to work together, solve problems, and grow as individuals. Your influence goes far beyond the technical aspects of the sport, and one of your most important jobs is to model and teach respect.
Here are some ways coaches can instil respect in their players, both during training and in matches:
1. Lead by Example – Kids are like sponges—they pick up on everything you do, whether you realise it or not. If you want your players to be respectful, you need to show them what that looks like. This means treating everyone with kindness and fairness, whether it’s your players, opposing teams, or referees.
During training sessions, encourage players to listen when others are speaking and to support one another. Show them that respecting others is not just about words, but also about actions—whether that’s shaking hands with the other team after a match or applauding a good play, even if it’s made by an opponent.
2. Encourage Positive Communication – Respect starts with communication. Teach your players to speak to each other—and to their opponents—in a way that’s encouraging and supportive. This doesn’t mean they can’t be competitive, but it does mean that they need to avoid negative talk or putting others down.
Help your team understand that how they speak to each other matters. Encourage them to cheer for their teammates, offer praise when someone does something well, and to help lift each other up when things don’t go as planned. Setting a standard for positive communication during training and matches will foster a more respectful and supportive team environment.
3. Emphasise Fair Play – Fair play is one of the core principles of sport, and it goes hand-in-hand with respect. When children learn to play fairly, they’re learning to respect the rules of the game and the people they’re playing with and against.
Make sure your players understand that winning is not the most important thing—playing fairly, trying their best, and respecting the rules are what really counts. Praise efforts to follow the rules and highlight examples of good sportsmanship, such as helping a player from the other team if they’ve been knocked down. These moments are opportunities to reinforce the idea that respect is more valuable than victory.
4. Teach Them to Handle Winning and Losing with Grace – It’s easy to be gracious when you’re winning, but handling a loss with respect takes maturity—and that’s a skill worth teaching. Coaches should help players understand that how they react to both winning and losing says a lot about their character.
After a win, encourage your team to celebrate their success without boasting or putting the other team down. After a loss, help them reflect on what they can learn from the experience, and encourage them to congratulate the other team on their performance. Teaching kids that both winning and losing are part of the game—and part of life—will help them develop resilience and a respectful attitude in all situations.
The Role of Parents in Teaching Respect
Parents are the primary role models for children, and the way they approach sport has a huge impact on how their kids view respect. While coaches can do a lot to encourage respect on the field, parents play a crucial role in reinforcing these lessons at home.
Here are some ways parents can help teach their children to be respectful, both in sport and in everyday life:
1. Be a Good Role Model – Just like coaches, parents need to lead by example. The way you react to your child’s performance on the field—and to the performance of others—will shape how they behave. If you’re respectful towards the coach, referees, and other players, your child is likely to follow your lead.
Avoid criticising other players, coaches, or referees, especially in front of your child. Instead, focus on the positives—what did your child do well? What did the team learn? By modelling respectful behaviour, you’ll be teaching your child how to approach both sport and life with a positive, respectful attitude.
2. Encourage Teamwork and Cooperation – It’s easy for kids to get caught up in individual achievements, especially in competitive sports. As a parent, you can help shift their focus to the team as a whole. Emphasise the importance of working together, supporting teammates, and contributing to the team’s overall success.
At home, talk to your child about what it means to be a good team player. Celebrate moments when they helped a teammate or showed sportsmanship during a match. These conversations help reinforce the idea that sport is not just about individual glory—it’s about respect, teamwork, and cooperation.
3. Help Your Child Handle Disappointments Respectfully – Every athlete experiences setbacks, whether it’s losing a game, missing a crucial shot, or being benched for a match. As a parent, you can help your child process these disappointments in a healthy, respectful way.
Instead of focusing on the negatives, encourage your child to reflect on what they can learn from the experience. Help them see setbacks as opportunities to grow and improve. At the same time, encourage them to congratulate others on their successes and remind them that respect is about how you handle both the highs and the lows.
4. Set Boundaries Around Respectful Behaviour – It’s important for parents to set clear boundaries around what respectful behaviour looks like, both on and off the field. This means teaching your child to listen to their coach, follow the rules, and treat their teammates, opponents, and referees with kindness and fairness.
If your child steps out of line—whether it’s talking back to the coach or showing poor sportsmanship during a game—take the opportunity to have a conversation about respect. Explain why their behaviour was inappropriate and how they can approach things differently next time. Setting these boundaries early on will help your child understand the importance of respect in all areas of their life.
A Skill for Life
Teaching respect through sport is about more than just following the rules of the game. It’s about helping children develop empathy, kindness, and fairness—qualities that will serve them well throughout their lives. Whether it’s respecting their coach’s instructions, shaking hands with the other team after a match, or speaking kindly to their teammates, every opportunity on the field is a chance to learn and practise respect.
At Tiny Tekkers, we believe that sport has the power to shape character and teach life lessons that go far beyond the pitch. As coaches and parents, we have the privilege of helping children learn these valuable lessons, and respect is one of the most important of all.
By working together—on and off the field—we can help our children grow into respectful, kind, and confident individuals who understand that how they treat others matters just as much as how they play the game. Because at the end of the day, respect isn’t just something we practise in sport—it’s something we carry with us throughout our entire lives.