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Touchlines Rules for Spectators
Rule No. 1: Keep POSITIVE support, encouragement,
cheer leading and general screaming and hollering to a MAXIMUM on
the touchlines.
When the players are working hard, they need and deserve
everyone's best POSITIVE encouragement and support. They need to
know you're there and that their effort is appreciated. Most teams
have a tough enough time developing a sense of teamwork and achievement
at the same time the players are gaining experience and skill. They
DO NOT need to hear YOUR anxiety piled on top of their own when
the game is going poorly. If you really want to make things worse,
crank your voice up a few notches and shout "Get it outta there!"
Rule No. 2: DO NOT CRITICIZE referees or players of
either team for any reason.
If the referees really ARE doing poorly, they may
get angry or offended by critical spectators and that may make things
tougher for the team. If they are good at what they do, they will
ignore you, or perhaps ask you to leave the field. Either situation
is at best distracting and at worst reflects poorly on the team's
overall sportsmanship.
Publicly criticizing players on your team can really
hurt team morale. They will already have an EXCELLENT idea what
their weaknesses are from their coaches and teammates. They will
not need reminders from their families, friends and other spectators.
The players for the other team are also trying hard
and in truth are probably no meaner or nastier than players from
your team. Criticism is simply poor sportsmanship and leads to unnecessary
bad feelings on and off the field. The unfortunate spectacle of
a supposed adult shouting insults at a child on a soccer field is
merely disgusting. Soccer is a game, not a war.
Rule No. 3: Don't coach players from the touchlines,
or for that matter while THEY are on the touchlines.
In most leagues, coaching from the sidelines is frowned
on, and rightly so. Soccer is different from most sports in the
US, because it is a game of the players. Coaches are supposed to
intrude as little as possible.
If you feel a child is not doing what should be done,
tell the coaches, not the player. As parents occasionally discover,
a player may be doing EXACTLY what the coaches have instructed.
Either way, a parent can help a player's athletic development much
better working together with the coaches, not independently.
Rule No. 4: Give the players, coaches and referees
room to work.
Many organizations have rules which require that spectators
on the touchlines stay in an area between the penalty boxes, and
keep all parts of their bodies (even outstretched feet) at least
one yard behind the touchline. Do not crowd the touchlines for any
reason and stay away from the goal area to avoid interfering with
those involved in the game.
Rule No. 5: Remember, IT'S ONLY A GAME.
Don't forget, YOUR attitude on the touchlines can
affect the mood and success of the team. If the coaches think that
your touchlines activity is hurting team performance in any way,
they should promptly advise you, hopefully without ruffling any
of your feathers. Be tolerant. Emotions run high during games, and
feelings are easily hurt.
Nevertheless, any spectator, whether parent,
friend or player, who persists in inappropriate touchlines behavior
after being warned by the coaches should be asked to leave the vicinity
of the field. Coaches should not argue with parents at the game.
If YOU want to talk about the game, call the coaches later at home
or get them aside after the game.
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