Parent-spectators’ misbehaviour in grassroots football: an explorative qualitative study

Abstract

The overall purpose of the present study was to explore the behaviour,comments and unsporting reactions of parent-spectators at footballmatches. For this, a non-participant naturalistic observation was carriedout on 52 groups of parent-spectators of Spanish grassroots football.The observations were supplemented by informal interviews with threereferees, a field delegate and three sports facility workers. The resultsof the study show, on one hand, how parent-spectators often makenegative comments about referees, coaches and players. They ridiculeand complain about referees’ actions to pressure in favour of their teamand may also make gratuitous remarks about their physical appearance.Parent-spectators criticise and occasionally even insult coaches, belit-tling some of their decisions and even supplanting them in their com-ments to the players in their team. Players of the opposing team receivenegative comments for unsporting actions and those in their own teammay receive negative comments on their play. Parent-spectators remainpassive in the face of their own and other children’s negative behaviourand may even unconsciously encourage unsporting behaviour in play-ers and coaches. This study examines different implications for theimprovement of the social-moral climate at grassroots football matches.