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Why listening to young people is key

To mark National Children's Day, our senior manager for children and young people shares the outcomes from a recent session around young people's experiences of good and bad coaching.

10th May 2026

by Naomi Beckles
Senior manager for children and young people, Sport England

Today is National Children’s Day UK – a moment to celebrate childhood, recognise children’s rights and promote the wellbeing of children and young people.

For me, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the strong alignment between National Children’s Day UK and the work we do at Sport England.

We know that regular participation in sport and physical activity can have a profound impact on children and young people, supporting both physical health and mental wellbeing, and that it helps to build confidence, connection and belonging.

Our latest Active Lives Children and Young People survey shows that we continue to see a positive association between activity levels and mental wellbeing.

Scores in this area are higher for those who are active as when answering the question ‘How happy did you feel yesterday?' out of 10, young people aged between seven and 16 who were ‘Active’ scored 7.1, while those who were ‘Fairly active’ scored 6.9 and those ‘Less active’ scored 6.7.

Sport England is a partner within the Children’s Coaching Collaborative (CCC), an alliance focused on championing children’s rights in sport and physical activity – particularly the rights to be heard, to play and to develop.

Listening to young people and acting on what they tell us is central to creating experiences that are positive, inclusive and shaped around their needs.

The Youth Advisory Group in action

The CCC's Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is made up of 14 young people aged 13–19, with a range of lived experiences.

Their role is to ensure their peers are meaningfully involved in decision-making and influencing coaching practice to be fairer, more inclusive and genuinely youth‑led.

During the Easter break, I had the privilege of joining 10 members of the YAG for two days in Manchester for an event that was expertly coordinated by StreetGames.

Despite early starts and long journeys, the group brought energy, honesty and passion to each session.

Their role as advisors truly came to life as they shared their experiences of being coached. Some were also able to reflect from another perspective – as young people who, themselves, coach others.

Reflecting on experiences of sport and physical activity

Across the two days we created space for the young people to reflect on their activity journeys – looking back to their younger years and thinking about how their experiences had shaped the way they feel about sport and physical activity today.

Listening to young people and acting on what they tell us is central to creating experiences that are positive, inclusive and shaped around their needs.

Through individual and group activities they shared moments of positive experiences, as well as times when sport had felt uncomfortable, pressurised or exclusionary.

These reflections helped surface what really matters to young people when it comes to coaches, environments and feeling safe, valued and included.

This blog is built directly on their voices and lived experiences.

What young people want from coaches

From a young person’s perspective, coaches play a powerful role in shaping how sport and physical activity feels – for better or worse.

Young people told us they want coaches who:

  • genuinely enjoy what they do
  • are passionate, fun and supportive
  • care about young people as individuals.

The coaches who have the most positive impact are those who build respectful, trusting relationships, set clear boundaries and actively listen to feedback from children and young people.

When coaches encourage young people to try new things and gently push them outside their comfort zones, sport and physical activity can help to build confidence and self‑esteem, especially when challenge is balanced with praise.

Young people also shared how good it feels to:

  • improve at something they enjoy
  • feel proud of their progress
  • feel fitter, healthier and more confident
  • be inspired to believe in their dreams and future potential.

However, they were equally clear about what can take the joy out of sport.

When coaches place too much pressure on performance, it can quickly undermine confidence and motivation.

High‑pressure environments affect young people differently and, for some, this can lead to stress, disengagement or dropping out altogether.

The feeling of being left out or forgotten can be especially damaging – for example, being the only girl in a mixed session.

Many young people already worry about being judged or excluded; what they want most is to feel that they belong, can socialise and feel accepted.

Ultimately, young people told us they want low‑pressure, welcoming and non‑judgmental environments where they feel supported, encouraged and free to learn.

Being part of a child‑first coaching community

We heard clearly from the YAG that they want coaches who believe in them, understand that fun and enjoyment matter, and recognise that positive experiences are key to developing a lifelong love of physical activity.

The YAG will continue to shape support for the sector, helping to ensure more children and young people can access opportunities that reflect their needs and experiences. 

Coaches play a hugely influential role in children and young people’s lives.

If you’re a coach, or work with those who coach children, you can get involved by joining the Play Their Way community bringing together people who are committed to child‑first, inclusive coaching and creating positive experiences for every child.

And if you have some time, the CCC is launching a series of peer-learning webinars, which I can't recommend enough. They are free to access and are open to anyone working in the sports and coaching sector who is motivated to make changes to embed youth voice in their organisation.

The first session will take place on 30 June, and it will be presented by the head of youth leadership at Youth Sport Trust, Steph Matthews, who will share practical insights, learnings and successes from embedding youth voice across their organisation.

Find out more

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