THE PLAYSTRONG YOUTH SPORT STANDARD

Most clubs say the right things at the start of the season

The standard is what happens when nobody's watching.
When a child only gets five minutes at the end of the match and nobody asks why.
When a parent asks a coach a question and is labelled difficult.
When the team that's winning gets left to do what they want because the results are good.
This standard names what good looks like.
It's free to adopt. It belongs to the club that uses it.

Treat every child the way you would want to be treated.

WHAT IT COVERS

Seven areas. Each one has a named standard, what good practice looks like, and what falls below it.
1. Every adult shapes the environment.
2. The child matters more than adult status.
3. Support must not become control.
4. Opportunity must be fair across time.
5. Mistakes must stay safe enough for learning.
6. Fair questions must be safe to ask.
7. The club owns the standard.

• Download the Standard

Version 5.1, August 2026

WHAT ADOPTION MEANS

A club is working to the Standard when all seven standards are in place, the routes are named, and a review period is stated. Take those out and it is a different document.
No inspection. No fee. Clubs may adapt the wording to fit their sport, with credit. A club that drops the named routes or the club floor has a document, not a standard.

WHO'S IT FOR

Clubs that want a working benchmark, not a policy document.
It was built for grassroots youth sport: football, rugby, GAA, hockey, cricket, athletics. Any sport where children are selected, developed, and expected to keep turning up regardless of whether they're being developed fairly.

HOW TO USE IT

Print it. Put it in your committee folder. Read it at the start of the season with your coaches.
Or use it as a parent. Three questions you can ask any club:
1. Is my child in performance or development?
2. What is selection based on at this age?
3. What does fair opportunity look like here?
The club's answer, in what they say, how they say it and how fast, tells you almost everything you need to know.

PUTTING IT IN PLACE

Adopting it is a committee decision, and committees get stuck in the same three places.
- Who gets named.
- What goes in the minutes.
- What a club floor actually looks like for an under 11 team.
The Club Adoption Pack covers all of it.
Seven steps, the five roles and routes, a club floor template, minute wording, and the notification email to send once it is done.
It's free. Tell me where to send it.

FOR PARENTS

If you're a parent trying to understand the environment your child's in, that's what The Room is about.

• Read The Room