COME ON THAT’S A BRUTAL CALL
…but we’re not talking about the refs
Summer sports are in full swing now. It’s a busy time for families who are balancing multiple activities, schedules, and hobbies.
My wife and I are both coaching our children’s soccer teams, and it is my first year in the BIG League of U10 soccer. It is so thrilling to watch these young athletes continue to improve and most importantly, enjoy this great game.
Soccer has also created some great opportunities for young referees through a youth program, and the level of officiating has been extremely good. However, I fear that given the behavior of some fans and coaches, we are losing young officials and even discouraging them from getting involved in the first place.
Frustration at the organizational levels grows every time an issue arises. I’ve heard the comment, “How would the coach like it if we came to their place of work and started yelling at them?” Good question, I’m just not so sure many young officials will want to stay in the game given the difficult environment in some sports.
If you have been following the media you would know the outrageous behavior by sports spectators and coaches is not new, but it certainly seems to be getting a lot more attention recently, both locally and nationally.
The majority of spectators and coaches that attend these sporting events are well behaved and very supportive of the participating athletes. Sports are being challenged though to find a solution for that minority of unruly fans.
Some sports have recently taken a proactive stance against poor sportsmanship behavior at games. For example, soccer has created the Referee Liaison program (RL). The program gets coaches to assign a parent from their team as the RL for the game. They are required to wear an armband so all the parents know who they are. Their job is simple - control the behavior of their team’s spectators, warning them politely to stop any misconduct. The referee has the dubious pleasure of trying to keep the coaches and players in check, and apparently this is not always easy.
Other sports such as lacrosse have banned all fans from rinkside here in Manitoba, while in B.C. they have instituted “silent stands.” The Manitoba High School Athletic Association will be hanging banners in schools, encouraging spectators to “Be a fan, Not a Fanatic.” Some sports are considering making it mandatory for coaches to officiate games to get a feel for the other side.
We need to remember that these are not professionals playing; They are children. As coaches and fans we need to keep it in perspective. There is no great career made or lost at this level.
If we wish to have these sports flourish, we can’t do it without officials. When sports have problems with officials quitting or refusing to referee games older than 10 years old, this becomes a significant issue for all of us. As coaches we need to realize we are role models and how we conduct ourselves can have a significant effect on the value of a great sport experience.
What do our athletes learn if they see outbursts every time a call is missed or goes against their team? By maintaining our cool and treating others with respect perhaps we can teach them to handle adversity with grace.
We want to hear from you about your feelings on the treatment of officials and ideas you may have to curb this unfortunate trend. You can send your comments or concerns to coaching@sport.mb.ca. We would love to post some letters in an upcoming Coaches Clipboard so all members from the coaching community can learn from each other. Sport Manitoba hopes that coaches will take the lead and help foster a positive sport culture.
Greg Guenther
Director of Coaching Manitoba
