More Than Performance: The Values That Shape Young Athletes →
**Host of values players themselves presented as what they would like our space to exhibit!
In youth sport, there’s often a heavy emphasis on performance—on goals scored, games won, and measurable outcomes. While these things have their place, they don’t tell the whole story. At RD Academy, we’ve been reminded of that recently in the most meaningful way: through the voices of our own athletes.
In our recent RD Academy workshop, we asked the players what values matter most to them—not just in football, but in the kind of team and environment they want to be part of. What came through was clear and consistent: respect, growth, joy, kindness, and teamwork.
These five words weren’t imposed by coaches or pulled from a handbook. They came directly from the players themselves, and that’s significant. In youth development, especially in sport, young people are often told what to value. This was an opportunity to flip that—to ask instead of tell. And what emerged was a strong sense that who you are matters just as much, if not more, than how well you perform.
This shift in focus is especially important when things go wrong—when performance dips, when players face setbacks or disappointment. It’s in those moments that values show up. How an athlete handles frustration, how they support their teammates, how they respond to a tough session or an off day—these are reflections of character. And character is what endures, long after results are forgotten.
Respect grounds players in mutual care—for teammates, opponents, coaches, and the game itself.
Growth keeps the focus on learning and getting better, even when progress is slow.
Joy helps athletes stay connected to why they play.
Kindness fosters a culture of support rather than comparison.
Teamwork reminds us that no one succeeds alone.
These values aren’t just abstract ideas—they’re what allow athletes to keep showing up, training hard, and performing under pressure. They provide stability in a sport that can be unpredictable.
It’s easy to celebrate talent and success, but what deserves equal recognition is the kind of person a young athlete is becoming. Sport offers daily opportunities to practice resilience, humility, empathy, and perseverance. And that’s where real growth happens.
As parents, your role in supporting this journey is invaluable. Encouraging conversations about effort, mindset, and values—rather than just outcomes—helps create a stronger foundation for your child, both as an athlete and as a person.
Sport has the potential to shape far more than skills. It can help shape identity, perspective, and purpose. And that starts with the values we live by.
