Play Their Way

By Play Their Way

Dive into child-first coaching with The Play Their Way Podcast! If you're a coach passionate about young lives, this is for you.

Join Laura-Jane Jones as she explores the core of coaching children an... more

· Sports

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FAQs about Play Their Way:

How many episodes does Play Their Way have?

The podcast currently has 35 episodes available.

Play Their Way episodes:

December 22, 2023 “If all they need is to talk, that’s what we’re here for” – Luke Carpenter on why holistic coaching is key to playing their way
Join us for the last episode of season 1 of the Play Their
Way podcast, where host Laura-Jane Jones talks to Luke Carpenter about holistic coaching, keeping a positive and open attitude and coaching in deprived communities.
Luke Carpenter is a grassroots coach at Valleys Gymnastics,
which have been brilliant advocates for the Play Their Way movement. Luke also won the 2023 Community Coach of the Year for Children and Young People at the UK Coaching Awards a couple of weeks ago for his child-first approach to coaching.
If you’re looking for first-hand experience of how to
#PlayTheirWay in a holistic way, this episode is for you!
Thank you for joining us for season 1 of the Play Their Way podcast - we can't wait to return in 2024 with more amazing episodes to help you play their way.
Join the #PlayTheirWay movement ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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19min
December 14, 2023 "You don't want to know what I think" - League Leaders on making sure young people are heard in sport
Join us on this week's podcast with upcoming charity League Leaders and host Laura-Jane Jones as we dive into what it means to champion every child's voice, choice and journey in sport and physical activity.
We're joined by Founder and CEO of League Leaders, Paul Jenkins, as well as young leaders Adbul-Razak Rakhis and Lereece Patrick. They talk about how their positive and negative experiences of sport growing up has shaped their attitudes now, the art of working with young people and the balance of competition and play.
If you want to get inspired on how to build young leaders in sport, this episode is for you!
Join the #PlayTheirWay movement ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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44min
December 06, 2023 “Now I’ve got 100 voices coming at me, and it’s beautiful” – Nicky Harverson on helping young people find their own voices in sport
Join host Laura-Jane Jones and this week’s guest, Nicky Harverson for an impassioned conversation about the joy of play and how to help children and young people find their voice in sport and physical activity.
Nicky is a Physical Activity Specialist (Strategic Lead for Children and Young People) at Active Lives Gloucestershire as well as a cycling coach & Coach Developer. Nicky is passionate about play and has recently been supporting us to launch a pilot programme to support grassroots coaches – stay tuned for more on this!
If you’re looking to up your game, this episode is packed with practical tips to help you #PlayTheirWay!
Join the #PlayTheirWay movement ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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31min
November 27, 2023 “Play can be a dirty word” – Stuart Armstrong on perceptions of play and the creation of the Children’s Coaching Collaborative
Two hosts come together in this episode of the Play Their
Way Podcast, as our host Laura-Jane Jones is joined by host of the Talent Equation Podcast, Stuart Armstrong!
Join them for a discussion on how the perception of children’s
play has transformed in our society over the past few generations, the role of the coach in child-first coaching and the creation of the Children’s Coaching Collaborative, 17 charities and organisations driving the Play Their Way movement.
Stuart is the Strategic Lead for Coaching and Workforce
Transformation, who still finds time to coach at a grassroots level and host The Talent Equation. He is a vocal advocate for child-first coaching and has been a crucial driver of the Play Their Way campaign.
If you want to understand both the origin and the future of
the #PlayTheirWay movement, this episode is for you!
Join the #PlayTheirWay movement ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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44min
November 20, 2023 “If you just guess what a young person needs, it can have a devastating impact” – Poppy and Samuela from UNICEF UK’s Youth Board on the value of young voices
Join Poppy and Samuela (known as Sam) in conversation with host Laura-Jane Jones about serving on UNICEF UK’s Youth Advisory Board, as well as the potential and power of championing young people’s voices in sport and physical activity.
Poppy is a 16-year-old from Fife, with a passion for young
people’s mental and physical health and education, as well as upholding the best interests of children. Samuela is 18 years old, with a focus on social issues from mental health to homelessness, and a drive to be the change she wants to see in the world.
If you’re a coach curious about what young people want and
need from you in sport, this episode will help you #PlayTheirWay.
Join the #PlayTheirWay movement ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Learn more about UNICEF UK's Youth Advisory Board here.
Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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34min
November 13, 2023 “I have this alternate life where I see myself as an athlete” – Zoya Zia on why representation and intersectionality matter in child-first coaching
Dive into a conversation on inclusivity and
intersectionality in children’s sport with Zoya Zia and host Laura-Jane Jones.
Zoya discusses how to listen to young people’s voices and act on their wishes in meaningful ways, how to start when it comes to understanding and embedding children’s rights in coaching, and the long-term impact of positive (and negative) early experiences in sport and physical exercise – including her personal story.
Zoya is the Senior Impact and Evaluation Officer at Chance
to Shine, one of the members of the Children’s Coaching Collaborative (17 organisations which drive the Play Their Way movement). Originally from Pakistan and Texas, Zoya has found her place in between. She has an MSc Human Rights and Politics from the London School of Economics, and is interested in the relationship between sport and children's rights worldwide.
If you want to #PlayTheirWay for every child, this episode
offers a glimpse into a more inclusive, hopeful future for children’s coaching.
Join the #PlayTheirWay movement ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.
Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠.
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29min
November 06, 2023 “All the best games are designed by children” – David Baird on the innovation of co-creation
Join host Laura-Jane Jones and coach David Baird for a passionate discussion about children’s creativity and how coaches can work with young people to foster an environment of innovation and fun.
David is an experienced coach who is passionate about children’s growth and participation, so much so that he created a concept and penned a book called Scoreboard Soccer, which is a way to engage children in football through games which can be co-created or invented by children and young people. In this episode, they discuss the power of children's creativity and autonomy, as well as practical advice on how to adapt Scoreboard Soccer and a child-first approach in different sporting contexts.
If you’re looking for new ways to encourage children to take the lead in their own play, this is a great place to start.
Join the #PlayTheirWay movement ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.
Follow us on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠, ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠.
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35min
October 30, 2023 “It’s about giving young people free time, so they can just breathe” – Michael Pusey MBE (CK Flash) on the importance of free play in sporting environments
Join Laura-Jane Jones in conversation with Michael Pusey MBE (CK Flash), Head Coach at Peckham BMX Club who was awarded by the Queen of England in 2018 an MBE for his contribution to youth sport.
CK talks about the importance of free play in sporting environments, of treating each young person as an individual and connecting with young people through fun and playfulness.
For coaches keen to connect with diverse groups of young people, this episode offers a rousing call to build bridges and #PlayTheirWay.
Join the movement ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.
Follow us on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠, ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠.
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25min
October 24, 2023 “Being kind isn’t a soft thing; kindness has teeth too” – Justyn Price on kindness and community in coaching
Tune into a heartfelt discussion between host Laura-Jane Jones and Justyn Price, a passionate advocate for the power of sport as well as the rights and needs of children, about how kindness and community is at the heart of grassroots sport.
Justyn discusses how he came to the realisation that “we can’t be in a world where children can’t play if they want to” after his son couldn’t find a football club to join, and about his journey to setting up an inclusive, child-first club for his son and other children in the local community, The Hawks.
If you want to be reminded why you got into coaching in the first place, this is for you!
Join the movement ⁠here⁠.
Follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Twitter (X)⁠, ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠.
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35min
October 16, 2023 “Young people are the experts in our own needs” – Jemima Browning on truly inclusive coaching
Join Laura-Jane Jones in conversation with Jemima Browning, an
inspirational young coach and disability advocate. Jemima has served on the Youth Sport Trust’s Youth Board and received the Diana Award.
Jemima shares her story of founding the Tadcaster Stingrays,
having seen the lack of opportunities for her brother Will, who has Downs Syndrome. This episode is packed with personal experience and thought-provoking advice on how to champion every young person’s needs and experiences in sport and physical activity by respecting them as the experts on themselves.
For coaches who are keen to create truly inclusive environments for children, this episode offers a roadmap to help you #PlayTheirWay!
Join the movement here.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok.
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25min

FAQs about Play Their Way:

How many episodes does Play Their Way have?

The podcast currently has 35 episodes available.