Editorial: Let’s get back to it being all fun and games

As parents, we all want what is best for our children. From the classroom to the sporting field, parents do not hesitate to speak up if they see their child getting rough treatment. But that love and support has a line. Down at local sport — the white line must be the hard line. A mass brawl on the sidelines of an AFL junior girls game between Mount Lawley and High Wycombe earlier this month turned a spotlight on the bad behaviour of parents on the sidelines of games. It came after revelations from last month that the WA Football Commission had started a trial where junior football coaches would be blocked from shaking hands with teenage umpires after games amid concerns they were using it to criticise or berate the young officials. And now The West reveals that today Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman has convened a crisis meeting of representatives from sporting organisations. “Their kids see appalling behaviour modelled. It also has the potential to put people off having their kids involved in junior sport and that is the last thing we want,” Mr Templeman said. Already, between television, computer and phone screens, parents are finding it harder and harder to keep kids involved in local sport. Despite the added benefits of learning how to work in a team, to persevere, to lose, as well as getting weekly exercise, rates of club membership continue to drop. It becomes much harder to convince teenagers to remain in sport if parents are turning football ovals and soccer pitches into boorish, hostile places. Earlier this year, a series of incidents saw SportWest launch its Sideline Behaviour Initiative aimed at increasing public awareness of the impact that poor behaviour has on sporting environments. Perth Scorchers legend Andrew Tye was one of the faces behind the government campaign. “Most people are fairly respectful, with a bit of light banter, but there is always one person who goes too far and gets personal or abusive,” he said in March. “We see instances on social media of irate parents who take things too far, and as a parent myself, I don’t want my child exposed to that. I want her to be able to play, and creating a safe space is paramount to that.” Community sport relies on people giving up their time — often for free — to ensure games go ahead. Without them players and the community who miss out. “This is about parents. They need to understand the implications of poor behaviour,” Mr Templeman said. Mr Templeman is right — this is about parents, in that, a child’s sporting match is not about them. Parents need to leave their egos and aggression at the gate, and come to watch local sport to celebrate kids and their teammates. The standard to which our kids play and behave on the field should mirror how their parents behave off-field. To give the best to our kids, parents need to be better.