Play Like A Champion

ABOUT PLC

View Chapter 1 of our Play Like A Champion Today Video.
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THE PLC APPROACH
FOR COACHES
FOR PARENTS
FOR ADMINISTRATORS

THE PLC APPROACH

The Play Like A Champion Today™approach has been crafted over a period of years by leaders in the fields of education, psychology, and coaching to elevate the culture of youth sports through child-centered educational practices. PLC teaches coaches, parents, and youth sport administrators research-based, child-centered educational practices that foster moral, social, and spiritual development.

The PLC approach focuses on special challenges of coaching youth. The major principles that guide PLC coaching include:

Coaches must be mindful they are participating in children’s play – it is about the athletes, not the coaches and parents.
Coaches must be concerned with the full personal development of all the children they are coaching.
Coaches must be committed to nourish the values of fair play, equality and respect for all.
Coaches must bring out the best in each young athlete.
Coaches must build a sense of moral community on the team.

Why “Play Like A Champion Today™”?

Designed by Notre dame faculty and coaches, the Play Like A Champion Today™ Educational Series are unique programs, offering these characteristics:

It is research-based. Every aspect of the program is designed using the best “child-centered” practices supported by years of research into character and spiritual development through education.

It is specifically based on moral principles of justice, tolerance, cooperation, respect and solidarity.

It offers the support, tradition and resources of academic and athletic excellence which mark the University of Notre Dame.
It establishes ownership through an integrative approach that involves the full range of stakeholders – coaches, parents, administrators and, ultimately, the young athletes.
It is delivered primarily through personal, interactive education and consultation.

PLC helps youth coaches build an engaging climate for team development, and an effective system for building positive relationships with parents. The bottom line: young people who are receiving the benefits of the best that youth sports have to offer.

For Coaches

The Play Like A Champion Today™ Educational Series provides detailed, hands-on, practical eduation for youth sport coaches culminating in PLC Coach Certificaton.

The primary educational tool for both our Sports as Ministry (SAM) and Coaching for Character (C4C) programs, is a three hour workshop for coaches. This workshop introduces the concepts of coaching as teaching, and describes the links between sports and character development.

Participants are guided, through a series of exercises and examples, as well as a companion video and extensive workbook, to delve deeper into the challenge, with material focused on:

Character and spiritual development in childhood
Coaching strategies for developing a Team of Champions, which include: decision-making, relationships and motivation
Building parents as partners, including the development of an effective communication system with parents

Coaches leave the seminar armed with a renewed focus on the importance of their roles as coach/teacher. With the following easy-to-use tools, they are prepared to carry out the message they’ve received:

Evaluation tools for coaches, athletes and parents

Checklists and toolkits for use before every practice and game

Sample formats for meetings with parents, and other situations

Tools for conflict resolution resulting in growth for all parties

For Parents

PLC provides a Parent Like A Champion workshop for parents of young athletes that focuses on appropriate roles and responsibilities for achieving “child-centered” results.

The workshop includes an examination of parent expectations in youth sports programs and how these expectations relate to the ideals of youth sports. Parents receive education and materials that help them to work with coaches as partners in providing a rewarding youth sports experience for all of the children on the team.

Parents learn how to foster a positive “spectator climate” that is respectful and supportive of all the participants and the officials.

For Administrators

PLC works with athletic administrators to help them understand the roles and framework for coaches and parents in the PLC program. This fosters an atmosphere where all of the key stakeholders in your youth sports program have the development of the youngsters as their primary motivation.

Among the tools used are:

Evaluation resources to measure how well your sports program is living up to its stated goals and values.

Practical resources for supervising coaches and athletic leaders to provide informed and timely feedback.

Leadership resources to help your sports program deal with some of the more challenging issues of youth sports (playing time for athletes, parent-coach conflicts, fans and officials, etc.)

Administrative resources and strategies that will prevent and respond to some of the most common and vexing challenges in youth sports programs.

The result – a youth sports league with coaches, parents and administrators working together to welcome and value every child and nurture a love of sports and playing that will serve them well both now and throughout their lifetimes.