Kylie Kelce is voicing a clear stance on parental involvement in youth sports practices, arguing that parents should refrain from attending them.
On an episode of her podcast Not Gonna Lie, she responded to a clip from the Today show featuring former professional soccer player Abby Wambach, who said parents should drop their children off at practice and then return to their cars.
Kelce endorsed that viewpoint without hesitation: “I cannot agree with this more. Don’t go to…what are you doing? Don’t go to practice. Do not go to practice,” Kelce declared.
“The practice is set up to prepare them for gameplay, right? They’re there to play. They’re there to sort it out, to learn new skills. They’re there to focus on their teammates and the coach.”
“I love the idea of roll up, drop your kids off, tell them to have a great practice. If you want to stick around in the parking lot, fine. But it should be clear to your child that you are not involved in their practice.”
Kelce, the wife of former Eagles safety Jason Kelce, added that this separation also creates meaningful conversation after practice, giving parents a chance to ask their child about their sporting activities.
She questioned why parents choose to watch practice directly, though, suggesting there isn’t any clear sense behind this rationale.
“What are you going to do at the practice if you’re attending?” Kelce asked.
“Cut that out. Don’t do that. They’re at practice. Let them play. Like Abby said, let them go play. That’s why they’re there.”
Establishing independence through activities
Kelce acknowledged that her own children are still young and have limited experience with independent sports environments.
“We are not quite to an age yet where our kids are doing organized sports without parents,” she explained.
She said they have begun soccer and participated in activities such as gymnastics. During those sessions, she has made an effort not to be visibly present.
Her daughter Wyatt, however, reacted strongly to not knowing exactly where her mother was. Kelce described the concern as more of a reassurance issue.
Even so, Kelce maintained that her daughter needed to redirect her attention back to the activity: “Stop looking at me and focus on what you are doing,” she said.
“The one time I actually told her in the car, ‘Hey, if you keep looking over at me during practice, I will go and sit in a place where you can’t see me, because I’m not involved in your practice. You have to focus on your coach.'”
Kelce‘s position highlights a broader argument about fostering independence in youth sports.
By establishing distance during practices, she believes children learn to rely on their coaches, engage more fully with instruction, and build confidence through their own effort rather than parental oversight.
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