- adidas has revealed the positive behaviors that athletes need from coaches, parents, supporters and teammates to help make them believe You Got This
- Putting this into action, Son Heung-min showed up pitch-side in London, showcasing the positive behaviors that athletes need from people on the sidelines
- The brand wants to help disarm negative pressure in sport by motivating everyone to be a positive influence, as new research shows 4 in 5 athletes often experience unhelpful behaviors from the sidelines1
Today, adidas and Son Heung-min joined forces with the Kinetic Foundation, to show up pitch-side at Harris Academy in North London, as part of the brand’s mission to highlight the importance of positivity from coaches, parents, supporters and teammates in helping to make athletes believe You Got This.
Surprising young footballers during their afternoon training session, Son demonstrated the positive behaviors, which could help encourage up to 20 million more athletes to play sport more regularly. During the session the South Korea captain put adidas’ ‘Sideline Essentials’ advice into practice – displaying the five positive behaviors that people on the sidelines should adopt:
- Stay nearby and offer encouragement to break a negative mindset – stand by their side
- Understand when saying less is doing more and offer supportive reinforcement (cheering, clapping) – let players play
- Reiterate to athletes that they’ve got this using pre-determined gestures that signal to stay focused – game plan gestures
- Celebrate an athlete’s effort vs outcome for bigger, better self-worth and long-term improvement – focus on the effort
- Use post-match chat to encourage the athlete, saving any analysis for later– be the support act
The brand’s ‘Sideline Essentials’ have been created in response to its new global study, which uncovers the ‘Sideline Effect’, the impact of negative and positive behaviors from the sidelines. The findings revealed that 4 in 5 amateur athletes regularly experience unhelpful behaviors from coaches, parents, supporters and teammates1. In partnership with sports psychologists and figureheads, the brand highlights common behaviors that many view as helpful but can act as a source of pressure and push many young athletes to quit.
The research surveyed over 12,000 athletes across 24 countries and found five actions were identified as having the most negative impact on young athletes’ desire to participate in sport. To counter this, adidas has created its ‘Sideline Essentials’, which have been developed with sports experts, validated by the findings from the research and endorsed by sporting icons including: Aitana Bonmatí, Anthony Edwards, Aliyah Boston, Jürgen Klopp, Lamine Yamal and more.
The ‘Sideline Essentials’ reveal how coaches, parents, supporters and teammates on the sidelines can tackle the most common negative behaviors. They provide high-impact, positive action, which could mean the difference between millions of athletes heading out onto the field or quitting altogether.
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!”
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 behaviors. Knowing that switching to these behaviors 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.”
The youth training session at Harris Academy was organised by Kinetic Foundation and is part of an ongoing programme supported by adidas to help keep next-gen athletes on every playing field of sport. As a longstanding partner, the foundation will receive the brand’s ‘Sideline Essentials’ to reinforce positive sideline support and help make athletes believe You Got This. For further information around the foundation, please see here.
References
1-2 adidas commissioned international research conducted by Focaldata surveying 12,438 16-29-year-olds of varying participation levels in sport in November 2024, across 24 markets (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA)
