This might be the most impassioned backing of sport you’ll ever hear from a parent. Toni Street sees firsthand the benefits of sport in her kids, as a coach and a big advocate for getting them involved in anything and everything.

An impressive sportswoman herself growing up, Toni now helps her kids (and their friends) to benefit in a range of ways. It’s an excellent listen for parents in particular, on how sport can permeate through to every aspect of kids’ lives.

In this episode of What I Know Now, Toni and School Sport NZ CEO Mike Summerell talk about:

• Playing sports from 3 years old
• The benefits of playing a range of sports and the pressure to specialise
• Why it’s important to mix in other things as well as playing sport
• The critical role her family played in the value she got from playing sport
• How her best school memories all revolve around sport
• Coaching her kids’ teams, and seeing the benefits for young people from a different perspective
• How lessons learned in sport have benefitted her work life
• Why she believes playing sports should be compulsory growing up
• How to deal with the admin of getting kids to all the sports they’re involved in
• Why she loves being a coach, and how it helps to build relationships with her kids and their friends
• Why she’s so invested in her kids’ sport, and the payoff she sees