It doesn't matter what the coachs do to try to make kids football fun and non stressful, and to teach good sportsmanship and manners, the parents always ruin it, by shouting, being aggressive, expecting too much of their kids, second guessing the ref, shouting instructions that contradict the ones the coach is giving and giving their kids the message that it's winning that matters and who cares how you win. Grrrrrrr.
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AIBU?
cat64 ·
24/04/2011 23:54
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Hatesponge ·
25/04/2011 00:28
My DSs have played for local teams since the age of 4 (they are now 10 and almost 13).
I have lost count of the times that parents/friends of parents/other children abused the refs, players and other parents. It happens every couple of weeks at least.
I've stood next to a 9 year old spectator who (in full earshot of adults he was with) called my son and his fellow players 'useless cunts' 
;
Children leaving the pitch in tears because their coach/parents have told them how shit they're playing (DS1's old coach used to say winning was the only thing that mattered, else you were a loser. He is a lovely man 
)
Matches where fights v nearly broke out between parents and/or players;
My Ex (who used to coach a team) got constant abuse from certain parents when he didn't play their precious sons enough (in a 10 mins each way non competitve match!);
At DS1's last match (a couple of weeks ago) the parents of the opposing team gave the ref (all of 16 I suspect, certainly looked v young) constant grief, f'ing and b'ing all over the place at him every decision he made.
Every team in the leagues they play in sign up to the RESPECT stuff. It doesnt matter one bit.
BTW, I live in what is considered a leafy suburb. You wouldn't think it most of the time!
lecce ·
25/04/2011 07:27
I know what you mean. I don't have first-hand experience of this but we regularly go to a park where matches are held at weekends and the language from some of the parents is appalling. The whole atmosphere just seems tense and really unpleasant.
Also, the school I work in held a match against a visiting school and the behaviour of the children was fantastic. Not so the parents. In fact, one of our teachers lost it with them as they were being so inappropriate! It was really shocking as, obviously, usually we are super-polite to parents but these parents were acting worse than kids and were treated accordingly!
It has really put me off the whole thing. I was not sporty at all as a child and now I have two ds I was kind of pysching myself up to get involved but now a part of me hopes they won't get into football as I can't bear the thought of having to spend weekends listening to a bunch of children being verbally abused. Dh, very sporty, always said he would prefer our dc to get into cricket then football, and this is why.
Dsiclaimer - obviously, we will support them in whatever sport they want to participate in, if any 
.
BeakerTheMuppetMuppet ·
25/04/2011 11:55
I had a stand up row with a parent at my 10yr old DS's match one time.
After hearing her shout 'BREAK HIS FUCKING LEGS' to her own child, who was going in for a tackle against my DS.
Money is at the root of it, I reckon. Some people see the massive Premiership wages as the prize, nothing about sportsmanship or fun.
I was almost glad when he had to give up due to a medical condition.
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