Foot-Brawl !

Increasingly we are seeing junior sport invaded by spectator parents incensed by umpiring decisions or generally disagreeing with the state of play when the score is not favouring their chosen team.  This can range from verbal abuse of both officials and players to downright thuggery when pitches are invaded and punches are thrown.

Some kids avoid sport altogether because of the embarrassment their parents cause and we are having difficulty attracting umpires and the various field officials who are the backbone of most sports because of this growing danger.  In some areas sport is assuming an ethnic following and when different teams have old enemies with recriminations from past wars this past seems to be resurrected in pitch  invasions at the first opportunity.

It is terribly disheartening to a young sportsperson freely giving up his or her time to officiate in junior sport to be castigated and abused for what are considered to be umpiring mistakes.  In professional sport we now have a video umpire who has the opportunity to replay the disputed move frame by frame - and who has the final decision.  Often, the field umpire lacks a critical view of the incident and  refers judgement to the video umpire as the fairest way to reach a decision.

That is not an option available in junior sport.  Young umpires with limited experience make mistakes and that is an integral part of the game.  Sports commentators are the filter to raise questionable decisions and this is part of the learning process for those finding their way in sports umpiring.  A little media criticism is a healthy way to correct umpiring imbalances.

There is a vast chasm between professional sport and the junior games played in the suburbs each weekend.  Sporting stars these days earn salaries similar to movie stars and they command vast sections of the print media and television time   Fame seems to be an aphrodisiac that attracts beautiful women, brings opulent cars and a hedonistic lifestyle, and it is the aim of most juniors to develop their game to the stage that they join their heroes and don the jersey of the team they favour.

Unfortunately, the image presented by those at this pinnacle of fame often leaves a lot to be desired.  Drinking to excess in wild nights on the town.  Confrontations with police and the taking of drugs.  There have been suggestions of match fixing and gambling on sports results - and many sporting heroes seem to treat their women with contempt.   There seems to be a continuous litany of famous names being arrested or causing disrepute by their actions - and the clubs that profit from their fame seem reluctant to bring them into line.

A famous player and his brother are accused of intimidating the umpire of a suburban game and threatening physical action.  It seems that this confrontation and the threats were recorded on a Smartphone and an attempt was made to seize the instrument and delete the footage, and this all happened in front of an audience of young players.   It seems that these two men have a past history of similar incidents.

Sporting clubs continually threaten action when this type of misbehviour occurs, but are usually slow to put their threats into action.   The next day, this offender was not stood down and was allowed to play and it has been claimed that the incident is only an accusation - and no action will be taken until the matter is heard in court.

That flies in the face of the command from the clubs that punishment will be immediate whenever a player brings the sport into disrepute by any action.   When a player is booked for DUI the stand down applies, long before the matter goes to court.   When a female partner is assaulted the very application for a protection order brings instant retribution.   When a far yells a racial slur, expelling from the ground is immediate.

Somehow protecting key players and keeping them on the ground to keep the fans coming seems more important to the clubs than protecting the junior game.   This "stand down " only came after relentless media finger pointing made any other option impossible !