THE GOOD SPECTATOR’S CODE

Club and Schools should encourage spectators to:

(a) Act as positive role models to all players.
(b) Be familiar with, and abide by, the RFU Child Protection Guidelines in relation to verbal and emotional abuse.
(c) Respect guidance from the Club or School with regard to spectator behaviour.
(d) Remember children play sport primarily for their own enjoyment, not for that of
spectators.
(e) Acknowledge good individual and team performance from all players irrespective of the team in which they play.
(f) Respect match officials’ decisions, even if they appear to be a mistake – remember, they are volunteers proving an opportunity for players to play rugby.
(g) Never verbally abuse players, coaches, match officials or fellow spectators: such
behaviour can create a negative environment for players and their behaviour will often reflect this.
(h) Acknowledge effort and good performance rather than ‘to win at all costs’.
(i) Verbally encourage all players in a positive manner, shouting ‘for’ not ‘at’ the players.
(j) Encourage all players irrespective of their ability – never ridicule any individual player, regardless of the team in which they play.

One of the areas of increasing concern for our game is the rising incidences of inappropriate touchline behaviour. This can impact negatively on the quality of experience enjoyed by young players, their families, referees and other spectators

In an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of behaving appropriately, you may wish to print this letter (MS Word DOC 28kB) to your club’s letterhead, have it signed by your mini and youth teams’ captains and distribute it to spectators and coaches.

This excellent initiative was created by Hampshire’s Martin Balls, who is both a member of the Hampshire Referee Society and the county’s Safeguarding Officer. We are certain that your young players will support the idea and believe that if the message comes from them it will be more effective.