Footage shows North Haven team manager and player’s dad Michael White’s assault on Fitzroy under-13s player

A 12-year-old boy who was hit in the head by the opposition team manager during a game has been left heartbroken after the jail term was overturned, his grandfather says. Watch the video.

• Dad spared jail for assaulting 12yo boy

The grandfather of the 12-year-old boy who was struck by the opposition team manager during a game said he has been left sick to his stomach after his jail term was overturned.

Footage released to the Advertiser shows Michael James White, who was the North Haven under-13s team manager at the time, hitting the Fitzroy player on August 6, 2023.

After White’s son was tackled by the victim, play was suspended while he was treated by trainers.

As the players are standing around waiting, the footage shows White wearing an orange vest running through the field and striking the Fitzroy player to the left-hand side of his jaw.

Michael White pleaded guilty to assault. Picture: Instagram

He had his jail term was then overturned and replaced with a suspended sentence. Picture: Instagram

White who was sentenced to an immediate three-month jail term in February, had it overturned and replaced with a suspended sentence after he appealed to the Supreme Court.

Victim’s grandfather speaks out

Speaking to the Advertiser on Tuesday, the victim’s grandfather said reading the article in the paper was the first time they learned White’s sentence was overturned, saying his grandson was heartbroken.

“I was sick to the stomach, I still am,” he said.

“I walked away from there (the sentence) thinking we’ve got justice for him and absolutely cannot believe it.

“We’re just sickened with how a grown adult can do what he did … he’s got a slap on the wrist as far as we’re concerned.”

The grandfather who witnessed the assault which happened in the last game of the season said his grandson, now 14, was left “very upset, in pain and shocked”.

“Several of the spectators from our team had to hold me back – I was very agitated, wild, upset, angry, all the emotions just flooded out,” he said.

“Luckily I did get held back but I did verbally get very aggressive.”

In a terrible twist of irony, Fitzroy were pitted against North Haven in the first game of the 2024 season at North Haven’s home ground.

“(My grandson) played a woeful game that day, he was just looking over his shoulder thinking is this guy going to run on,” the grandfather said.

“He was petrified.”

The grandfather said while his grandson’s physical injuries weren’t the worst, the incident had left him with mental scars after he had his “teenage years ripped from him”.

He said he found it atrocious that SANFL had never reached out to them following the incident.

“It’s an absolute let-down, they hold themselves up fairly high and consider themselves a body that there’s to support the children but we’ve heard nothing,” he said.

SANFL executive general manager of football Matt Duldig said SANFL maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding Code of Conduct breaches at SANFL Juniors matches.

He said SANFL Juniors have a clear process that was followed with this incident – resulting in White receiving a lifetime ban from holding any position at a club and a 12 month ban from attending any football venue.

“As a League, our priority is to protect the wellbeing of young players and umpires, ensuring that junior footy is an enjoyable and quality environment in which the game can be played,” Duldig said.

“SANFL has worked closely with Fitzroy Football Club and North Haven Football Club, both of which were highly cooperative throughout the process.”

Fortunately, the incident hasn’t broken the victim’s spirit enough to stop him from continuing playing football, where he is playing at a new club this season.

The appeal: Footy dad spared jail

In the appeal judgment, Justice Ben Doyle said “whilst the contact was plainly not inadvertent” it could not be said with confidence that White, 42, raised or lifted his elbow as commented by the magistrate in his sentencing remarks.

Justice Doyle also said his review of video footage showed the victim was not knocked down by the impact.

Former North Haven team manager Michael White’s jail term was overturned after he hit a Fitzroy U13 player. Photo: File

He found the video supported a conclusion that the collision was a spontaneous act which occurred as White was running towards his son “likely in an emotional state”.

“As the magistrate observed, it is utterly unacceptable that a fully grown man, particularly one entrusted with a team manager role who should understand the importance of modelling appropriate behaviour for the young footballers, should assault a defenceless 12-year-old,” he said.

“It had the potential to have caused significant injury (and) those who saw the incident are likely to have been shocked and potentially affected by it.”

The court heard White, from Seaton, had written a letter of apology to the victim – however

White pleaded guilty to assault and spent a few hours in custody after sentencing before being granted bail.

Justice Doyle said due to White having strong prospects for rehabilitation, he found good reason to suspend the jail term if he signed a $500, 18-month good behaviour bond.

Originally published as Footage shows North Haven team manager and player’s dad Michael White’s assault on Fitzroy under-13s player