Dad's support puts children on right sporting track 

Research shows that children who take up sport early in life are more likely to say their dads introduced them to it

George Finn pictured with his oldest son, Daragh, 11. Picture Chani Anderson

IT is a standout memory for George Finn, a dad of four from Carrigtwohill, and one he hopes his children will carry with them into adulthood.

A 10km cycle on the Dungarvan Greenway in July 2020, his two older boys, Daragh and Ronan, on their bikes, and the two younger children, Naoise and Éanna, in the bicycle trailer attached to their dad’s bike. “We had great fun. My wife was running logistics in the car, stopping every now and again at car parks along the way to make sure the older two were OK to keep going.

“We stopped and had a picnic. For the kids, the tunnel near Dungarvan was a big thing. They found it ‘dark and spooky’; they really enjoyed it. It’s a great memory for me, and I hope the kids will look back on it, too.”

Finn’s mum was big into cycling. “Growing up, we all had bikes. I fell in love with cycling as a mode of transport: I didn’t get my driving licence until I was 27. Cycling was a way of staying fit, getting from A to B. As I got older, it gave me independence: it was an empowering thing.”

Unsurprisingly, bikes have been a feature in the Finn household since the children were tiny. “First, we had bikes handed down from cousins. Then, we got new bikes for Christmas about five years ago; I think a tricycle was in there. This was so the children could make cycling their own – they all love it.”

With Daragh now aged 11, Ronan nine, Naoise seven and Éanna five, Finn knew their first cycle without stabilisers would, for each of them, be one of those great first memories. “It always appealed,” he says.

The family spent an extended holiday in Germany this summer, basing themselves near a rural lake about an hour from Cologne. “There was a 6km cycle path around this lovely lake. We cycled there together five or six times during the holiday. On another occasion, we got to cycle to the shop and around the town. It’s very cycle-friendly in Germany and it’s great to see that coming here,” says Finn, who is delighted the inter-urban route from Cork to Midleton is being worked on.

“They’ve opened a section from the Dunkettle Interchange; there’s a cycle path as far as The Elm Tree in Glounthaune. Hopefully, within the next six months, the path might run from the children’s school to their childcare in Carrigtwohill.”

With the family’s busy schedule — “four or five people going in different directions most nights” — they fit in opportunities for cycling wherever possible. “We cycle to the shop to pick up a few groceries. Naoise asked the other night if we could cycle there to get a few things, just me and her.”

Cycling with his children ticks many boxes for the busy dad, who works in IT. “It’s a way for us to do something together. They’re at different ages in their sports, so they’re doing things at different grades. What I really love about cycling is we can truly disconnect. In this age of always being on, it takes us away from screens.

“And you have to be in the moment, concentrating on what you’re doing. There’s a connection, even when you’re saying ‘slow down’, ‘be careful’, or ‘hit the brakes’. It’s all very connected. There’s a singularity of purpose: We’re all out together. In that moment, we’re focused on what we’re doing, but also very present.”

He loves that cycling brings his children out in the fresh air with built-in physical activity. “They’re spending time with their siblings, where they’re hopefully not fighting! There can be competition — one of them will start racing — but they look out for one another too. Hopefully, it’ll develop them into more rounded people.”

George Finn pictured with his children, Daragh, 11, Ronan, 10, Naoise, 7 and Éanna, 5, in Carrigtwohill. Picture Chani Anderson

Bonding through sport

Growing up, sport had a big role in Finn’s life. He got interested in rugby, aged seven, and loved it from the start. “My father was big into GAA and athletics. I did those to a certain degree. I quit athletics when I was 12: I kept coming fourth.”

He played rugby with Dolphin senior rugby and captained the team. “My father encouraged me in rugby, though the game wasn’t in his DNA. In my teens, sport was how we connected; he’d come to matches. It was something we did together; he and I were able to talk about the game.

“So when my children started growing up, I was keen to be very involved, to have those memories with them and to build that kind of relationship with them through sport and activity.”

Benny Cullen, director of research and innovation at Sport Ireland, says dads play a crucial role in supporting children in being active. He points to the 2023 Irish Sports Monitor, which surveyed 8,500 over-16s. Some 13% said their fathers introduced them to their sport. “Fathers seemed to play a more important role with boys, but even among girls more fathers than mothers introduced them to their sport,” says Cullen.

Likewise, the 2022 Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study, which looked at 8,000 10- to 20-year-olds, asked participants why they play the sport they play. ‘Because of my father’ came third in the list of reasons cited.

While we are closer now to gender parity in sports participation, Cullen points out that dads aged 30, 40, or even 50 are more likely to have played sport when they were young than their female peers. “These fathers shouldn’t squander their privileged position. They should be aware of promoting physical activity among their children.”

Benny Cullen, director of research and innovation at Sport Ireland. 

Tips for dads

Cullen has the following tips for dads seeking to get children active:

• Know the importance of timing. The role of family seems to be most important before age 16; after that it starts to diminish. Children who took up sport before 16 were much more likely to say their fathers introduced them to it. The father’s role was higher than that of schoolteachers, friends, or mothers.
• Be active yourself. The impact of role-modelling is critical. And support mothers to be active, too: children in families where both parents participate in sport are more likely to play sport and be active.
• Support them to play multiple sports. Only 10% of people play the same sport for their lifetime. So lifelong sports participation does not seem to be a story of loyalty to one sport, but a story of change and transition across different sports. Equipping children with a range of movement skills supports them through these transitions as they live their life of sports participation.
• Promote the intrinsic value of sport when children are young. Avoid over-emphasising the importance of winning. Winning is an important component, and it creates great memories, but prioritise sport’s intrinsic value: its social and health benefits, the sense of competence and self-confidence it develops. If the intrinsic value isn’t promoted, people are more likely to drop out of sport as they get older.

Being physically active with his children is a way for Finn to be present in his children’s lives. “Physical activity is an easier way for me to connect with the kids. My wife knows all their friends’ and classmates’ names. For me, when we’re doing a physical activity together, it’s a unifying experience.

“My sporting background was always in teams. I want to bring this camaraderie into the family: we’re a unit, we help each other out.”

• Sport Ireland has resources and tips for parents to support their daughters to be active: hermoves.ie. Although targeted at parents of girls, there’s relevance for boys, too.