Violence in local football - media overkill

[Culprit]

With a few stories popping up about violent happenings at local football games it's time for a reality check. We have had five incidents reported in two weeks as far as Melbourne Metro go. If you work out how many games were played the amount of incidents are minimal. Approximately 500 games are played per weekend and for the media to jump on a few incidents is quite laughable. This goes for soccer as well. Incidents are few and far between and all leagues handle these matters very good in my view.

All clubs and leagues now have a code of conduct and with the no alcohol rule at junior level in place games now are a pretty calm. A few morons are always out there to spoil the fun and as a spectator/member of a club all we can do is if anyone behaving outside the rules at my club is quickly pulled into line and second warning banned. This happens regularly at many clubs and in the end if parents cannot be controlled their child is banned as a last resort. Normally it never gets to that level.


Local footy is grass roots footy and without it our game will not go anywhere.

[Culprit]

Have to pursue it and sort it out Tess.

[tcnthat]

[Nutmeg]

It's the same at our rugby club.
Every year we scrounge around for coaches and parent to help out.
We cop it all on the committee - I coach, had to ref last week (i felt dirty!), set up fields, pack up fields, paint grounds, organise jumpers, club fees, fundraisers, player registration/transfers, player welfare (we're in the northern suburbs), liaise with the media, liaise with the cops (our club is broken into regularly), manage grounds (e.g. ensure people are using rubbish bins, not abusing refs etc. etc.), deal with council.

Oh and by the way - I play as well.

As a committee member, we get so SICK and tired of running around doing all the work, but it's so hard to get volunteers to help us out. Frankly, I'm so sick of all the bullshit and politics that I'm just about ready to walk.
What I'm trying to say I guess, is that not ALL clubs are about mates - we'd take ANYONE to help us out. We can't even get our senior players to pay fees, and they're more than happy to stand about watching while I and my 59 year old father load and unload a ute-ful of posts, rope, witches hats, chairs and goal-post pads.