What is The Athlete Parent Place?

Realising that there was nothing out there for parents, we decided to create an information and support platform designed specifically for the parents of athletics and running athletes… it’s called The Athlete Parent Place. 

As a prominent member of your athletics club, we are sure you take great delight in seeing your young athletes enjoying the sport and, of course, succeeding! But we're pretty sure you also experience frustration when these talented athletes’ don’t achieve their potential or, worse still, fall by the wayside. Parents play a huge role in a young athletes’ participation and progression, from influencing attitude and mindset, to controlling the practicalities of nutrition, transport, and competition day organisation, but there’s been no guidance and support aimed specifically at them…

until now…

My name is Joe Fuggle, former GB Junior 400m hurdler and founder of theathleteplace.com, an information and support platform primarily for athletes and provider of the athlete ‘buddy scheme’, supporting first time international athletes. 

Joe Fuggle, Founder of theathleteplace.

When I was ‘making it’ as a young athlete my mum tried to do all she possibly could to ensure my happiness and success on and off the track. Obviously she wanted to do what was best for me regarding performance, but despite trying to find information, there was little available and virtually nothing aimed at her, the parent of an athlete. She therefore had to rely on guesswork. 

Looking back, we know now that she got a few things wrong (not many but definitely a few!) but this was entirely down to lack of knowledge. We wonder how differently it could have all been and how far I could have gone, if that information had been available. We, therefore, feel that parent-specific support and guidance is the missing piece to the athlete support jigsaw that could, if done correctly, positively impact the sport for generations to come. 

So, we decided to create ‘The Athlete Parent Place’,  just for parents, and we’re excited to announce that we’ve now officially partnered with England Athletics and are currently in the final stages of agreeing partnerships with the remaining athletics NGBs. All agree on the important role parents play.

So what is it…

The Parent Hub is a brand new concept within athletics that we hope will evolve and grow as parents and other informed individuals get involved, interact, suggest topics to cover, and contribute to content. 

Joe & Caroline circa 2016 (one of 2 photos we have together?!)

Our goal is for parents to become more informed and be able to make decisions they know will positively impact their athletes. Importantly, we also want parents to enjoy this journey too. Of course, ticking both of these boxes ultimately benefits clubs themselves through increased athlete and parent enjoyment, resulting in increased retention rates, and of course, improved athlete performance. 

However, for this to happen, we need your help to spread the word by forwarding the website to all relevant friends, family or club members. 

We are so excited to see where this goes and hope that you are too! We also thank you for your help to get the ball rolling… 

best wishes,