Ugly parents must own abusive actions at junior sports

BOGAN fans hijacking kids’ sport with abuse and violence is not restricted to the suburbs. And nothing will improve until ugly parents take responsibility for their actions, says Susie O’Brien.

WHAT is the world coming to?

On the weekend, an umpire at a junior footy grand final in Hoppers Crossing had to “run for his life” to get away from physically abusive spectators.

Players and parents subjected to abuse reportedly had to be locked into the club rooms for their own protection.

And police and ambulance officers had to attend the sporting ground to break up fights among school-age kids and their parents.

Police have confirmed they are investigating an affray.

Footage has emerged of the aftermath of a brawl at a junior football grand final. Picture: 3AW

The brawl allegedly broke out after umpires awarded two consecutive 50-metre penalties to Point Cook late in their game against Albion.

Point Cook then kicked a goal and won the premiership, and Albion supporters went on the warpath.

Such violence seems to becoming more and more common.

Police a few years ago had to be called to break up a brawl at an under-12s game involving parents “screaming and pulling out each other’s hair and punching and kicking,” according to one eyewitness.

One player even took the steering wheel lock out of his car to use as a weapon.

In other places, police helicopters have been used to break up fights, and capsicum spray and tasers have also been used to quell warring parents.

It’s not right to say it’s a problem particular to some outer-suburban areas, as some are suggesting today.

The Yarra Junior Football League put in umpire escorts — parents who walk the umpire on and off the field each quarter — after a nasty brawl in up-market Kew several years ago.

So let’s not just blame the bogans; sadly, violence and aggression are now a regular part of our junior sporting culture.

Sometimes it’s apoplectic coaches aggressively shouting “BALL” every time the umpire makes a call.

By day they’re mild-mannered accountants and teachers.

But when the timers start, they morph into red-faced maniacs spitting abuse and instruction in equal measure.

Joining them are psycho parents on the sidelines living out their failed dreams through their poor sons and daughters.

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You can hear them screaming at their kids: “Run faster, you can do better than that,” “How could you have missed that?” and “Who was that kick to?”

They call their kids names such as “loser” and “retard” and they make sexist comments such as: “You’re kicking like a girl”.

Often the umpires — who are barely older than the kids on the field — cop the brunt of the abuse.

These days, umpires at many junior games have to be escorted on and off the field, parents are often restrained behind barriers, and clubs are forced to bring in codes of spectator conduct.

The end of the weekend sees a rush of junior players in hospital emergency rooms on the receiving end of violent tackles, punches and kicks.

Kids and parents reportedly had to lock themselves in the clubrooms. Courtesy: 3AW

No change will occur until parents and abusive fans take responsibility for their actions. Picture: 3AW

Often, it’s just part of the rough and tumble of games, but there always seems to be some kids following their parents’ lead and playing the man and not the ball.

The proliferation of anti-violence campaigns is a testament to the on and off-field aggression in junior sport.

One such push is the Step Back Think Lace Up which this year involved 30,000 amateur and professional athletes wearing orange shoelaces to highlight what’s become known as social violence.

This includes one-punch assaults, pub brawls and fights on and off sporting fields.

There’s also GroupTogether, which is a parents’ collective offering tips on how parents can support rather than scream from the sidelines.

As co-founder Julie Tylman, explains, “every year we hear the maddening stories of parents gone rogue, with sideline-rage wreaking havoc over an entire side or team”.

The AFL also has the Kids First campaign, reminding parents not to yell at or ridicule children, respect umpires and show appreciation for officials.

The Australian Sports Commission also has the Let Kids Be Kids initiative.

Their research notes the prevalence of “parents who turn ugly” and who “sometimes storm onto the playing field or even get into a punch-up with an equally passionate opposing team parent”.

The commission reminds parents that clubs have a legal responsibility to address behaviour which is against the law, such as racial vilification, assault or sexual harassment.

As a parent who regularly attends six or more junior sporting matches a weekend, I know these campaigns and codes are absolutely necessary and I wish they had more impact.

Flinders University researchers Samuel Elliott and Murray Drummond surveyed junior sporting parents and found many report parents guilty of excessive instruction, coaching from the boundary and verbally jousting with their kids during matches.

Interestingly, they also found that although many parents think other mums and dads behave badly, not one admitted to doing this themselves.

This, I think, is a big part of the problem.

Parents know this behaviour takes place, and they see it just about every week at their kids’ sporting games.

But they always think someone else is to blame.

Surely nothing will improve until ugly parents take responsibility for their abusive actions.

More: Umpire runs for life after footy brawl

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