The Surrey Youth League are, with FA agreement to pilot in the coming 2016-17 season, a new process to improve touch line behaviour at Children’s football matches.
These new processes will affect ALL Sheen Lions parents / carers and their guests that attend our football matches.
The following are key to the process:
- Clubs will be required to ensure that each Parent or Official Carer for any player in the Competition, signs the FA Respect Codes of Conduct. This has always been part of the Sheen Lions Registration process but we will make this very clear for 2016-17.
- It will be deemed best practice for all spectators NOT to stand behind the opposition assistant referee (Linesman).
- Clubs will be required to appoint Pitch Marshalls for all games involving U11 – U15 football inclusive. Sheen Lions is run by unpaid volunteers. We need parents to give their time to enable their children to play football, many people already help but more will be needed to cover every game.
- In other age groups the Pitch Marshalls are encouraged to appointed. At these age groups if no Pitch Marshall is available then the responsibility falls back to the Team manager to act in this capacity. Sheen Lions will encourage all age groups to appoint a Pitch Marshall.
- Referees will be required on their match result card, Prawn Sandwich on-line form, to indicate Respect Breaches. These respect breaches will be result in a notice being server on the offending Club.
- The clubs will then have to report back within 10 days of the Notice of Respect Breach being issued, as to what action was taken.
Sheen Lions is not a club with any history of disciplinary problems but of course we want to keep it that way. ALL people involved with Sheen Lions must make sure that they have read and must follow their relevant Code Of Conduct. Do not assume you know it!
Many of the behaviours that are the norm at adult and professional games (such as disagreement with a referees decision) are just not allowed at Children’s football and this new process ensures their will be very little tolerance of any breach.
If the Referee decides that a Respect breach has occurred you will not be able to argue against it. You will only be able to attend future matches once you have satisfied the Club and the Club have satisfied the League that there will be no further issue.
Please note that Respect Breaches are the lowest level of infringement though still serious. Actions may be deemed Misconduct and so subject to County FA action. Even more serious incidents could be a matter for the Police.
The full text of the Surrey Youth League rule change to authorise the pilot is below.
Rule 2 (H) SURREY YOUTH LEAGUE PILOT DEFINITION & RULES
I. This Competition has received official Pilot Sanction from the FA to work towards improving touchline behaviour
II. The Pilot embraces all aspects of the Respect Programme utilising best practice, education and potential sanctioning as defined in the FA Respect Codes of Conducts for Players, Spectators, Managers and Officials. The Competition will utilise the Standard Code of Youth Rules as adopted by the League and further will use the Charter Standard League Respect Tool Kit Publication.
III. Clubs will be required to ensure that each Parent or Official Carer for any player in the Competition, signs the FA Respect Codes of Conduct as published on the Competitions Web Site upon applying for membership to a club. These Codes of Conduct must be retained by the Clubs.
IV. It will be deemed best practice for all spectators NOT to stand behind the opposition assistant referee (Linesman). If this means that spectators have to move at before kick-off and / or at Half Time then they must do so.
V. Pitch Marshalls are to be appointed by Teams for each game. Their primary role is to act as a liaison point for the referee conduct Pre and Post match briefings / debriefings and if required as a point of contact during the game to explain their own team’s supporters that a referee’s threshold of disrespect has been breached and that everyone should calm down and that they will now be reported. Pitch Marshalls are not to enter into any confrontation with opposing team supporters or management, but they can report respect issues to the League. Pitch Marshalls will need to be clearly identifiable to the referee.
VI. Pitch Marshall’s will be asked to complete a simple online form to report respect breaches, or nil return.
VII. Clubs will be required to appoint Pitch Marshalls for all games involving U11 – U15 football inclusive, this is per team, at each game there will be two Pitch Marshalls one from each Team. In all other age groups the Pitch Marshalls are encouraged to appointed. At these age groups if no Pitch Marshall is available then the responsibility falls back to the Team manager to act in this capacity, as they would normally outside of the Pilot.
VIII. If it is reported to the League by the referee that at ages U11 – U15, that a team failed to supply a Pitch Marshall then the League Respect manager will in the first instance ask for an explanation, and issue formal notification that it has been noted. Subsequent failures to supply a Pitch Marshall will result in the Club being called to a League Management Meeting to further explain their position. The League will deal with this under the Powers of Management in the Competition rule set.
IX. Referees will be required to report disrespect shown to them and to any disrespect shown towards assistant referees (Officials or Volunteers). The process on the pitch is to stop the game, call the Pitch Marshalls to them and inform them of the spectator, or group of spectators or Manager that has breached Respect levels. Pitch Marshalls then act as above. Referee makes reference in his notebook of time of incident and nature of the Respect Breach.
X. Post-Match debrief with Pitch Marshalls can identify individuals and names provided where possible.
XI. Referees will be required on their match result card, Prawn Sandwich online form, to indicate Respect Breaches.
XII. The League Respect Manager on receiving a Respect Breach will inform the club that action needs to be taken in line with the Codes of Conduct Education and Sanction. The League and Sanctioning Authority will develop, with the clubs a process of various educational sanctions that can/must be applied.
XIII. The clubs will then have to report back within 10 days of the Notice of Respect Breach being issued, as to what action was taken. Along with supplying any proof of this action, online respect certificates, copies of written warnings etc.
XIV. Failure for clubs to respond and provide evidence will result in the Competition following steps available in the Charter Standard League Respect Tool Kit, which could lead to Teams having fixtures withheld as it will be deemed unsafe for a team to play matches.
Accumulation of Respect Breaches by Clubs or Teams will be dealt with by the league as per main competition
XV. The Competition will provide to the FA and the FA League Pilot Liaison manager a mid -season report and end of season report.
