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May 19, 2023
Australia’s New South Wales Government is reminding spectators to watch their behavior when attending junior sporting events with its Shoosh for Kids campaign this month. With the country’s winter sport season underway, the initiative is addressing appropriate sideline and spectator practices in the hopes of changing current behaviors in order to keep kids engaged in sports.
Poor sideline behavior is so prevalent that there are tens of thousands of searches made online every year by people looking to resolve the issue. The various forms include verbal abuse, physical abuse, violence, bullying and racial, sexual or gender discrimination.
Where violence has occurred from the sidelines, the consequences can be significant and at times escalate to suspension in attending future games and even criminal prosecution. An example of this was an incident in South Australia where an umpire and the umpire’s parents were assaulted by a parent during a girls’ junior football match in 2021, resulting in a permanent suspension.
The phenomenon has been branded by researchers as ‘ugly parent syndrome’ and is being blamed for teaching the younger generation that they must win at all costs. “They see the child as an investment and they want a return on that investment,” shares child psychologist Michel Carr-Gregg. Research suggests that aggressive behavior from parents on the sidelines is embarrassing young athletes, making them lose confidence and often leading to them quitting sport altogether. The number of incidents has grown so much that officials have been forced to take action.
The Shoosh for Kids campaign is aimed at promoting positive sideline behavior at junior sports events. It started as an initiative by Newcastle Junior Rugby League Association and Country Rugby League in 2015, and has now expanded to a collaborative effort between the Office of Sport, Little Athletics NSW, Basketball NSW, Cricket NSW, Softball NSW, NSW Touch and Tennis NSW.
“The message is simple, if you don’t have anything positive to say, then shoosh,” said NSW Sports Minister Steve Kamper. “We need to ensure that our grassroots sporting communities are places where everyone feels welcome. This campaign is about keeping sideline commentary fun and positive so that kids and families feel encouraged to keep coming back to play each week.”
More than 500 clubs have signed up for the campaign and can access free resources that outline appropriate and inappropriate spectator behavior. It runs across five key themes: think before you speak, keep it positive and fun, volunteer appreciation, respect officials and support coaches.
“Not only should sport be a fun, welcome and inclusive environment for the kids participating but it should also be an enjoyable experience for the umpires, coaches and all the volunteers to keep them engaged in our game,” shares AFL NSW/ACT CEO Tiffany Robertson who explains that the campaign also goes hand in hand with supporting officials and volunteers.
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