Swiss sports workshop helps coaches set boundaries with children

A workshop for sports coaches in Oberentfelden, Switzerland, is addressing how to balance professional closeness with personal boundaries, SRF reported. One question discussed was whether a football coach may hug a seven-year-old who is crying after missing a penalty.

The three-hour workshop, titled Professional conduct around closeness and distance in sport, is led by FC Aarau professional footballer Marco Thaler and social and sexual educator Michèle Olloz. The Aargau Football Association pays for coaches to attend.

Olloz developed the workshop after asking how clubs involving her two sons dealt with the issue. Her research found no easily accessible programme for coaches and club leaders, she said.

Thaler said he had previously been unaware of the full scope of the topic. He now considers the project a personal priority.

One practical question offered to participants is: Would you do the same if the child’s parents were standing next to you? This can apply to hugging a player or making a particular kind of physical contact. If a coach feels uncomfortable doing it in front of the parents, Thaler said, that is already a sign that the action is wrong.

Thaler also recalled that when he was a junior, it was considered normal for fathers who coached teams to shower with the children. That would be unthinkable today, he said. He also remembered games in which players hit one another with rolled-up towels, behaviour he found amusing at the time but now questions whether everyone was comfortable with it.

Discussing closeness and distance has made coaching children easier for Thaler. If a player’s foot position is incorrect, for example, he now knows he may touch the player’s foot after asking for and receiving consent. He said he now has a clearer understanding of what is acceptable and what is not.

The workshop also covers issues such as deepfakes and mobile phone use in clubs, including whether young players should hand in their phones and at what age. Olloz and Thaler do not present one mandatory solution. Instead, the workshop encourages participants to examine their own conduct and question it critically.

The initiative comes after cases of bullying and abuse involving young athletes in rhythmic gymnastics at the national training centre in Magglingen became public in 2020. Switzerland subsequently established the reporting office Swiss Sport Integrity, where athletes, coaches and other sports participants can report possible violations.