Mum slams sports club for denying her ten-year-old daughter a participation award over ‘unfair’ rule that’s got nothing to do with youngster’s efforts on the field
- A single mum, 37, was shocked by the conduct of an after school sports club
- She blamed them for making life harder for single parents
A mum has been left stunned after her daughter was denied a participation trophy at her after school sports’ club despite turning up every week.
The youngster wasn’t eligible for any awards at the end of the season because her mum hadn’t volunteered for the club enough.
Her mum, Lauren*, 37, said she wasn’t aware she needed to volunteer on four separate occasions for her ten-year-old Julia to be allowed to get an award until it was too late.
In January, less than two months before the season ended, the mum was informed that her daughter was not eligible for any end of season awards because a parent hadn’t signed up for at least four volunteering sessions.
She told Kidspot she had been to every session between September and March, but spent the time being hands on with her daughter who is diagnosed with inattentive and hyperactive ADHD.
Lauren only volunteered at the canteen on one occasion throughout the season, as her sister was able to follow Julia around and supervise her.
A mum was left stunned after her daughter’s after school sports club denied the child a participation trophy for an ‘unfair’ reason that had nothing to do with participation
The mum was extremely upset because Little Athletics sessions span over a large stadium with multiple ovals.
She thought it was extremely unfair to expect her to leave her special needs daughter alone to volunteer at the canteen when she was a single parent.
Lauren admitted that it probably would’ve been different if she had a partner who could help her with parenting or someone else to look after her daughter.
‘I felt it wasn’t right to punish the child,’ the mum told Kidspot. ‘[My daughter] also wanted me to be there to feel comfortable doing something she’s never done before with so many older kids around.
Little Athletics revealed that they found it necessary to ‘motivate’ parents to volunteer by enforcing consequences as centres cannot run without the assistance of parents
She added: ‘It’s a scary thing for me to leave my daughter, who has additional needs, alone for several hours in such a big place where no one is looking out for her. They don’t make any concessions for that.’
The mum explained that neither she nor her daughter were particularly concerned about the certificate, but they felt it was unfair of Little Athletics to not make concessions for struggling parents.
Lauren voiced her concerns in an email to the sports club but was unable to come to a satisfying resolution.
The mum was dissatisfied with the after school sports club and soon decided to instead enroll her daughter in a Saturday morning dance class
Little Athletics revealed that they found it necessary to ‘motivate’ parents to volunteer by enforcing consequences as centres cannot run without the assistance of parents.
But the mum was still dissatisfied with their conduct and decided to pull her daughter from the program and instead enroll her in a dance class that has adult supervision.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Little Athletics about the situation
*Names have been changed for privacy reasons.
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