Wheelchair Basketball star backs child-first approach to break down sporting barriers

With the Paralympic action in Paris capturing the attention of the nation, GB Paralympian Siobhán Fitzpatrick joined the Play Their Way campaign in the West Midlands for a special wheelchair basketball session with young players from her former club, The Warwickshire Cubs, to highlight the vital role child-first coaches play in helping disabled children and young people have positive and enjoyable experiences of sport.

The Loughborough Lightning player, who was part of the Team GB Wheelchair Basketball team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, took part in the inclusive session with disabled and non-disabled young players at North Solihull Leisure Centre. The event was also supported by Activity Alliance, one of the founding members of the Children’s Coaching Collaborative – the collection of organisations behind the Play Their Way campaign - which aims to build a nation of child-first coaches where the individual needs, rights and enjoyment of children are prioritised in sport and physical activity. 

Spearheading the delivery of the Play Their Way campaign, UK Coaching are proud to be part of the 17-strong Children's Coaching Collaborative (CCC), and understand just how vital the role of the coach is in ensuring children and young people continue to take part in and enjoy sport and physical activity.

Our recent YouGov research highlighted that 81% of young people said that being coached increased their enjoyment of sport, with almost two thirds saying it made them less likely to drop out of it. Those currently coaching disabled children are often already embedding child-first principles, such as making efforts to understand a child’s individual needs and adapting to their feedback - providing a blueprint for other coaches to learn and develop from. A child first approach, which focuses on the individual needs of children and young people is regarded as even more critical to giving disabled children positive experiences of sport and physical activity.  

The Warwickshire Cubs were founded in 2002 and run junior teams at under 10, under 14 and under 18 level. The club have a particular emphasis on giving older juniors the opportunity to coach and lead sessions for younger players to empower them and help build confidence. The setup has been designed to progress at each young person’s own pace, helping them forge their own path and support their peers through sport and physical activity. Junior players also lead sessions in local schools to help break down barriers and challenge misconceptions about wheelchair basketball and disability sport. 

“In many cases those with experience of coaching disabled children naturally deliver a child-first experience. It is so important that accessibility and inclusion are built in to what we’re doing, and how we facilitate amazing positive experiences for children and young people is a great place to start.

“That’s why we are proud to be part of the Children’s Coaching Collaborative and the Play Their Way campaign to support coaches with whatever they need to help break down barriers. It will set them up to give all children equal opportunities to benefit from sport and physical activity and develop a lifelong love for it.”

The Play Their Way campaign was launched in 2023 to transform the way children and young people are coached by prioritising their rights, needs and enjoyment in a ‘child-first’ approach. The campaign is funded by Sport England and The National Lottery and is led by the 17 partner organisations that make up the CCC.

To learn more about the campaign, access resources and sign up to join the biggest grassroots movement to transform the way we coach our children and young people visit  www.playtheirway.org.