Football coaches vaping on pitch

[Raisinsandweetabix]

My son is in a team, and both the coaches vape constantly on the pitch in the training ground and at matches. Is it just me who finds this incredibly bad form?

I would not be happy about that. It's not good role modelling. Young boys really look up to football coaches and vaping isn't something you want them to aspire to. There's a big movement behind smoke-free sports, you think that would apply to vaping too.

Is it a small local team or a bigger community club? Is there anyone you can raise it with such as a club coordinator?

Not a great example and a bit sad they can’t knock it off for a couple of hours.

Wouldn’t be allowed at my sons rugby team.

That's my thoughts... bit desperate if they can't go 5 minutes without dragging on a piece of plastic trying to look 'cool' the worst part is that they are so high and mighty about other kid's behaviour yet they somehow think this is normal?

does the club have a safeguarding officer? I’d raise it with them and they should be able to explain to the coaches that it is totally inappropriate and why

One out of 4 of my sons football coaches (U9) vapes but it's not constant, he's quite subtle about it. The parents getting pissed up after every training session annoys me more.

It's not ideal but if the coaches are unpaid volunteers giving up their own free time to coach your son then I'd probably live with it.

How old are they? I've never seen a coach vaping. My youngest still plays on artificial pitches where the coaches aren't even allowed hot drinks in the technical area in January when its -4. Pretty sure they'd be banned from the venue if they were vaping!

I couldn't get worked up about this

Are they paid coaches or parent volunteers?

Maybe you could volunteer yourself and give up hours of your time, both during the weekend and weekends?

Not acceptable at all. I would raise it with the club.

And what happens then?

Told to stop? Coaches laugh it off and refuse

Well I guess it depends if they are in a paid role or not which we don't know.

But even if they are volunteering they'd have to be tone deaf not to understand its not setting a good example for young kids.

Yes, being a role model is what you sign up for as a youth team football coach. If its an open age or adult team then thats different.

Are their volunteers. .....

Just saying as they shouldn't and if paid no way should....but if their volunteers they might just say so what and leave ..and no football club. I wouldn't be happy as a mum I know but worried they walk if they didn't.... can you volunteer instead

They are volunteers, and I'm totally in agreement that they should be applauded for giving up their time. In all other respects they a great guys but this is surely just NOT OK ?? A crafty puff off pitch I wouldn't even bat an eyelid too!

The club my son plays for have rules about this, in that parents/coaches aren’t supposed to vape or smoke. That said, you can’t really govern it because matches are usually on public grounds. You do see coaches sometimes doing it but usually it’s on the sly and away from the kids. To be fair, some of what they have to deal with would have me swigging Vodka from the bottle.

My dh is a volunteer coach for our sons team and this would absolutely not be allowed.

I think you need to start your own team and coach them. It's a commitment but sure you can manage it

Bring it up with the club, they probably have rules about that kind of thing happening in club grounds and will send comms to all coaches as a reminder.
My older sons team played a game where the ref was vaping constantly during the game - it was only 30 mins each way, surely he can wait that long!!

Yeah bring it up with the club.... they will likely just leave

I would bring it up with your clubs welfare officer. It's an awful example to set to children.
My kids' club has loads of teams and I have never seen any of our coaches or the opposition coaches smoking or vaping.

Saying they are volunteers so you can't say anything is ridiculous. Proper clubs will have safe guarding rules and a code of conduct everyone has to follow. Volunteers or not.

The coaches will have completed a safeguarding course, as well as signed up to a club code of conduct. What they are doing is not acceptable, even if they are volunteers.

All clubs should have a welfare officer, who you can speak to. If not, then County FA’s will have a football services team or safeguarding team who deal with welfare.

Clubs absolutely can tell volunteer coaches that vaping in front of children during training and matches is unacceptable behaviour. If they continue, the club can remove them. That’s leaves you with 2 choices - either become a coach yourself or hope someone else takes over or move your child to another club.

@FionaChapman my son is a referee and he would be in huge trouble if he vaped during a game (he actually doesn’t vape anyway). That referee needs to be reported to the County FA. They will decide if they charge him with an offence and he could then face a ban.

Yanbu. Its vile.
I'm cross enough that there are parents vaping while watching the matches. Really rank behaviour, I don't know why people are ok with it

The FA clearly think vaping should not be happening