Bullying in sport

Bullying UK gets complaints about what happens on and off the sports pitch too. It isn't just other players who are the problem but parents, coaches and team managers can also be guilty of bullying behaviour.

Pushy mums and dadsProfessor Celia Brackenridge's research showed that many youngsters give up football because of the stress of parental pressure, the shouting and taunts from the touchline.

Football development officers have been very fed up with parents' behaviour with mini soccer being turned into a mega stress with a 'win at all costs' attitude.

Are you taking the game more seriously than you should, shouting vociferous encouragement from the side, displaying excessive disappointment at the missed goal and of course outright abuse or invasion of the pitch should never be tolerated and neither should abuse between rival team parents in the heat of the game.

Set a good exampleIf you're a parent think about the example you're setting to your child and other families.

A friend of Bullying UK who managed a youth soccer team in Leeds told of one match where there was so much trouble that the police had to be called and they refused to let parents leave until they'd taken their car registration numbers. On another occasion when he substituted a player, the substituted boy's father, who was a linesman, threw down his flag in a display of petulance and shouted to his son: "Come on Thomas, we're going home".

The sports mad father may be pushing his son or daughter very hard and making unreasonable demands. Parents need to know that they can be guilty of bullying too and that constructive criticism about the effort they put in is acceptable but personal negative comments are not and neither is punishment for an off day.

If your child is being bullied in his/her sports club then talk to the coach or manager about it and ask them to make other staff aware of the problem.

Ask for the matter to be dealt with discreetly. If the coach catches the bully in action they can't accuse the victim of telling tales.

If the problem continuesIf the problem continues and the club doesn't seem sympathetic, ask if there is a complaints procedure and follow it. Clubs may have their own rules or guidance issued by the sport's governing body and there may be appeal procedures over disciplinary matters.

If your complaint is about the coach you need to be fair and objective when making a complaint. Not every child will be picked for the team every week and it's better to approach the coach in a friendly way to discuss any issues of concern. If you can't resolve matters at club level you could consider taking it to the sport's governing body.

There's more on bullying in sport in the schools section.

Contact us on help@bullying.co.uk if you need more help.

Other pages in this sectionBullying policies / Role of the DCSF / Is my child being bullied? / School bus bullies
Contacting the Governors and LEAa / Happy slapping / Internet safety advice for parents / Internet abuse
Is my child a bully? / If your child is bullying others / Do you share blame? / Dealing with an older bully
Teacher bullying / Home schooling / Bullying in sport / Parents' panel - Have your say
Who can help on racism / Parents' survey results / Moving your child to a new school / Pupils' survey results
Taking legal action / Bullying outside school / Independent and private schools / Parents' problem page
Model letters to help your complaint / National Bullying Survey 2006 / Cyber bullying introduction / Dangerous websites
Mobile phone problems / Practical help with racism / Dealing with racism / Internet scams
How does bullying make a child feel? / Dealing with a younger bully / Teachers' survey results / Adults' survey results
Contacting the school / Access to pupil records