Adults are learning to support children in football: a "Talantikos" seminar took place in Chernivtsi

As part of the UAF project, parents, coaches, and managers together sought answers to the question: how to create an environment for a child in which she can grow—both as a player and as a person.

Adults are learning to support children in football: a "Talantikos" seminar took place in Chernivtsi

Photo: UAFA

In Chernivtsi, the first day of "Talenticos" — a multi-platform ecosystem of the Ukrainian Football Association that unites mass football, education, and modern approaches to child development under one brand — has begun.

A young football player does not develop in isolation. There are always adults around — those who shape his attitude towards sports, himself, and others every day. It was around this idea that the meeting in Chernivtsi was built.

The discussion unfolded around two directions that define the quality of a child's football environment:

  • “Parents — partners in development.” The dialogue about values, character, and reactions to victories and defeats is formed at home. A coach sees the child for limited periods of time, while the family supports them every day. When a coach and parents move in the same direction, the child receives support rather than conflicting signals.
  • “Managers — the foundation of an environment for child development.” Organizational work rarely comes into focus but without it nothing holds together. A manager in children's football is someone who creates conditions where coaches can coach, parents can support, and kids can play.

Seminars in this format are just one part of "Talenticos." The full event lasts two days and brings together two different but interconnected events:

  • the first day — training for adults: parents, coaches, managers;
  • the second day — a football festival for children.

The connection between these two days is the main idea of the project. What adults discuss and become aware of during seminars is put into practice on the field the next day — in parents' behavior on the stands, in coaches' words, in the atmosphere of the event itself. The child finds themselves not among conflicting demands but in a harmonious space where all adults work towards one common goal.