Colman Noctor: We need to protect children playing in elite sports 

Picture: iStock 

An interview on Newstalk caught my attention last week. The editor of the Offaly Express, Justin Kelly, was reporting on a local story about four teenage boys who were dropped from an under-14 GAA county development panel because they had chosen to play an important soccer match. 

I believe children of this age should not be forced to choose one code over another. And what message does this give about the concept of a ‘team’? When working with children at any level, you are not just developing athletes - you are developing people.

The social media response to this story has been varied. Some believe these boys were unfairly treated, but others strongly agree with the sanctions. Statements such as ‘children need to show a commitment to their county’ and ‘if you let one away with it, then they’ll all be at it’ were commonplace on platforms. But what does this say about our understanding of children in sport?

This is not a GAA versus soccer issue - it’s a children’s sports issue. I have no axe to grind as my children are involved in GAA and soccer (at a non-elite level) and their experience has been very positive in both. However, in my clinical work, I see many examples of attitudes in children’s elite sports that are concerning.

The Olympic Council defines an ‘elite child athlete’ as someone who has superior athletic talent, undergoes specialised training, receives expert coaching and is exposed to early competition. But what is the acceptable ‘cost’ of the pace of competition, and what supports are in place to protect these children in these environments?

Pressure on children to perform arises in all sports including rugby, swimming, ballet, athletics and gymnastics, where the coaching attitude to young children is not always in keeping with their developmental age.

I have heard of many examples of children’s mental health needs being discarded for the purposes of winning in my practice. These include a severely underweight child diagnosed with anorexia, being told by cross country coaches to turn up at races. An 11-year-old gymnast returning home with a ‘diet plan’ inappropriate for her growth stage. A 12-year-old expected to attend swimming training in excess of 11 hours a week and ordered to forget any social involvement. A 10-year-old ballet dancer advised to spend the summer ‘working on her thigh gap’.

Power imbalance

You may ask ‘where were their parents when all of this is happening?’. The parents involved in these cases told me they didn’t feel they could speak out because they believed their child was lucky to be there, Also, they feared that raising their concerns would endanger their child’s place on the squad. It is important not to underestimate how proud some parents can be of their children being involved in elite sports. But this creates a power imbalance in favour of the coaches, which should not be underestimated.

We must keep in mind that these players are children. Despite their sporting talent being beyond their years, their emotional and psychological well-being is not. If we are going to induct young children into an ‘elite’ sporting environment,  provisions need to be in place to protect them.

What constitutes ‘elite sport’ has to be different for a 13-year-old than for a 23-year-old, but regrettably, this does not seem to be the case in some organisations in Ireland. The adults responsible for the management of talented children need to be aware of the mental health consequences of their actions and of the possible impact these decisions have on the well-being of the child.

Sport as a life-saver

I am not anti-sport. I know of numerous examples where sport was ‘a life-saver for a child. I am not against elite pathways either - I believe they have a place within an organisational structure once they take into consideration the developmental age of the children they develop.

I have nothing but admiration for coaches of all codes who give their time voluntarily to ensure children can play sports. But volunteerism should not mean that individuals are beyond reproach when it comes to the well-being of a child under their instruction. All coaches need to have a comprehensive understanding of child development and realise that imposing adult professional standards on children’s activities is inappropriate.

A 14-year-old sprinter said to me once that being good at running 'ruined it' for him. 'Every time I run well, there was an expectation that I have to run faster next time. I can’t run faster every time and so I’m letting everyone down,' he said. 

If this is what this child took from an elite development environment, then there is something wrong and that culture isn’t working. If that is the case, we as adults need to speak out and try put provisions in place to support children in these environments.

• Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist