RESPECT and Behaviour

The behaviour of your players, parents and coaches is going to be hugely important in terms of the enjoyment everybody gets from the game.

Simply put, at LGCSA, we have incredibly high expectations around the way our coaches, parents and players behave. If anyone is unable to maintain those standards, they are not welcome.

It is useful for coaches to lay out what is expected to parents and players at the start of the season and crucially, to remind them that however much  provocation they may see from opponent coaches or players, we NEVER get involved in any back and forth. The "but he started it" excuse won't get you anywhere. If you see something going on that you don't agree with, speak politely to the referee or a club official if one is present and if you feel there is a genuine safeguarding issue with regard to the behaviour of an opposition member, you are well within your rights to remove your player(s) from a situation.

We have a code of conduct that summarises all of this and that we expect everyone to abide by.

Some useful thoughts / resources below...


FA RESPECT Campaign

The FA's RESPECT campaign has been running for a number of years now and you've probably heard of it. 


RESPECT Barriers

We have these at all our home grounds, for use during matches (at the 3G pitches the barrier naturally does this job) - if you find they aren't there, use a line of cones and speak to Chris Allen about getting hold of a new set. When games are going on, RESPECT barriers do two things:

  • They physically keep parents behind a line, a couple of feet back from the edge of the pitch, stopping encroachment on the playing area.
  • They remind people of the RESPECT campaign and that as a club, we are taking these things seriously. From the FA's own documentation... "Research has shown it to have a beneficial impact on the behaviour of spectators and their impact on players and match officials."
Everyone except coaches, officials and players should be behind those barriers. No exceptions.

Codes of Conduct

Players, coaches and parents should all sign a code of conduct at the start of each season that clearly states how they are expected to behave. By doing this, you not only have something to refer back to if there is ever an issue, but you are also reminding everybody what is expected and raising this in a way that comes from the FA rather than from you, which gives it an official seal of approval that hopefully makes everybody buy into it more.


Problems?

If you have any problems with regard to any behaviour that you feel you are struggling to handle on your own, you can speak with our Head of Football, Chris Allen, our Child Welfare Officer, Millie Woodliffe or your age group leader. You can find all their contact details on the "contacts" page.