When you’re the parent of a youth soccer player, attending sporting events is a big part of your free time. Cheering from the sidelines is one way of supporting your child and encouraging them to try their hardest, but going about it the wrong way can lead to upsets. To avoid breaking anyone’s focus, here are a few ways to step up your cheering and give your child a boost of motivation.

A Parent’s Guide to Cheering During a Sports Game

1. Don’t Berate Players, Coaches, or Referees

The focus of youth soccer should be on fun and developing important traits, such as discipline, teamwork, and critical thinking. Verbally abusing the coaches, referees, or other players when a game is going poorly will make both you and your child look bad, as well as potentially get you banned from future games. It will also ruin your child’s focus while playing, harming their performance and ruining their enjoyment. Allowing yourself to become worked up over the game puts more pressure on your child to do better to avoid angering you, too, causing them to lose their enjoyment of the sport.

2. Get the Whole Family Involved

Grandparents, siblings, cousins—get everyone that you can to come to your child’s games and help cheer at the youth soccer games. Your family will love the chance to see your child play, and the added support will boost your child’s confidence. It’s an excellent way to incorporate more quality family time into your schedules, too. Plus, you can come up with coordinated cheers or chants to do during games for your child.

3. Avoid Drawing Too Much Attention

Being overly enthusiastic during a game will draw the attention of the parents, coaches, referees, and players, including your child, which can be quite embarrassing for them. Try to monitor your noise level when cheering and clapping, staying within range of the other parents’ volume. Don’t jump up and down or run down the sidelines, either, as this will be highly distracting and potentially embarrassing for your child. Maintain an excited and positive but restrained attitude, being sure to show your child you’re engaged without going overboard.

Are you searching for a competitive and active youth soccer team for your child? Contact Beachside Soccer Club in Norwalk, CT, to get into elite boys soccer and girls soccer leagues. Offering both boys soccer and girls soccer training, they boast experienced coaches and various leagues that will meet the needs of any youth athlete, whether they’re playing for fun or need professional-level training. Beachside Soccer Club features youth leagues and a premier league, after which athletes may be able to join the U.S. Soccer Academy Program. Learn more about this youth soccer team’s philosophy online, then call (203) 852-6969 to get your child into boys or girls soccer.