This program is given to a very important subject, a subject that has the attention of every football association in the world – the behaviour of coaches, parents and spectators on the sidelines at junior football matches. But most importantly – parents.
If you have attended a coaching course in recent years through Capital Football you would have been given the right message about how to conduct yourself with junior players, the importance of setting achievable goals, positive feedback and encouragement, focussing on development not winning, playing the game in good style and spirit, and of course, talking less, resisting the temptation to micro manage the players during the game – letting the game be the teacher. Everyone talks about making sure the young players have fun. There is no fun in being yelled at, humiliated and made to feel inferior because the team did not win on the scoreboard.
There is no course of instruction for parents of young players who stand on the sideline. Too often, far too often, it is the adults that suffer a loss of control, living as too many do, vicariously through their child. There is nothing worse for the young player or football, than to have feral parents on the sideline. They punctuate their gratuitous advice to young players with open criticism of the Referee and match officials, who are more often than not, young players themselves. They soon leave the refereeing ranks under the weight of the abuse and vitriol that is hurled in their direction by adults. What so many of the adults, mostly parents of players, do is nothing short of Bullying!
We speak to Adam Castle, coordinator of the Kanga Cup. It was a good tournament with the most sparkling football to be seen in the 10 to 14 age groups. Regrettably, it was punctuated by some very poor behaviour by parent supporters. In spite of that, football found a way through and the finals produced some seriously good football in the junior age groups.
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