As part of the ‘You Got This’ initiative that adidas unveiled last week, Son Heung-Min joined forces with the Kinetic Foundation to show up pitch-side at Harris Academy to highlight the importance of positivity around young athletes.
Within the ‘You Got This’ initiative, adidas revealed the positive behaviours that athletes need from coaches in order to succeed, as well as showing the effects on athletes who don’t receive this. Research shows four in five athletes often experience unhelpful behaviours form the sidelines, often leading them to quit. The Three Stripes brand want to help disarm negative pressure in sport by motivating everyone to become a positive influence.
Putting this into action, adidas icon Son Heung-Min showed up pitch-side at Harris Academy in North London, showcasing the positive behaviours that the young ballers need on the sidelines to make them believe ‘You Got This’. During Harris Academy’s afternoon training session, Son put adidas’ ‘Sideline Essentials’ advice into practise – displaying the five positive behaviours that people on the sidelines should adopt. These include: stand by their side, let players play, game plan gestures, focus on effort, and be the support act.
Reflecting on the importance of positivity in sport, Son said: “Over 90 minutes of football there can be many highs and lows – so in the tough moments, even the smallest bit of support can make the biggest difference. Knowing someone believes in you– whether that’s your coach, a teammate or a close friend off the pitch – is what gives you the confidence to play with freedom and enjoy each moment. Giving support is such an impactful action but we all need to know what the right type of support looks like and that’s why adidas’ ‘Sideline Essentials’ is so important. A simple ‘keep going’ or even a smile from the right person on the sidelines holds so much power, yet can easily be forgotten to be done in the moment – so this advice is a great way for us all to be reminded of what truly works to help all athletes unlock their potential!”
’Sideline Essentials’ has been created by adidas in response to their global study showing the impact of negative and positive behaviours from the sidelines. Teaming up with sports psychologists and figureheads, the brand has highlighted the common behaviours that young athletes view as helpful but act as a source of pressure, leading to them eventually quitting.
The youth session at Harris Academy was organised by Kinetic Foundation as part of their programme supported by adidas to help avoid next-gen athletes from quitting sport due to negativity. As a longstanding partner, the foundation will receive the “sideline essentials’ to reinforce positive sideline support.
Endorsing adidas’ Sideline Essentials, James Fotheringham co-founder, Kinetic Foundation, shared: “We are so excited to be part of this campaign - as part of the adidas Football Collective, we share the belief that through football, a positive change can be created, which is why we are huge advocates of its ‘Sideline Essentials’. The experience our young people were given today – receiving positive sideline support from an icon at the top of the game – will undoubtedly have a huge impact and we hope it’s the start of everyone understanding the power of positive sideline behaviours. Knowing that switching to these behaviours could increase participation is why we are looking so forward to rolling them out into our practice, as we aim to help inspire young people on our programme to show up and put the work in, not only on the pitch, but off-the-pitch, too.”
For more info check out adidas.com
