Parents, calm down. Your child is not playing for the Socceroos in the World Cup Final

Parents, we’ve reached that time of year again.

The early mornings and the washing of the sports jerseys have started, because yes, this weekend officially marks the beginning of winter sports season.

But before you gather up the picnic rugs and camp chairs and dash into Maccas for a takeaway coffee I’ve got a message for all the competitive sporting parents out there. And Listen up. This is important.

This year why don’t we stop acting like teenagers at a One Direction concert or spectators at a World Cup final.

How about we all just calm down.

I think it’s awesome that you’re out supporting your child in their chosen sport but I do not think it’s so great that you’re treating your six-year-old as though he is playing for the Socceroos.

Let’s put an end to the abusiveness, stop with the harassment of the refs and quit telling our CHILDREN to ‘smash’ their opponents and ‘get them while they are down’. (Yes coach of that under six team we played last year I’m talking to you).

Truth be told your child is probably not the next Tim Cahill or Greg Inglis or ‘Buddy’ Franklin and missing that one goal or try will not ruin their little lives like you make out it does. Sorry I know that’s probably hard to hear but better I tell you now so you know.

I think parents forget that their kids play sport for fun, not competition. Children are not interested in their future Olympic prospects, they want to kick the damn ball with their friends on a Saturday morning.

Kid’s sports should not be about who wins or who loses, or which parent has a voice so loud they can be heard over the ref. They should be about fun. Good old-fashioned lets-play-some-footy-with-our-mates kind of fun.

The NSW Football South Coast are one association looking to bring back the fun in children’s sports and have purchased these signs to be displayed at their junior football matches.

I want to take this sign with me and shove it in the faces of the parents who treat an under 7s match as though it’s a World Cup qualifier.

You can clearly see what it says there — “the coaches are volunteers.” They are more than likely a parent of a child on the playing team, or a teenager with years of experience playing that sport, and they are not getting paid to cop your abuse. They are there, on their own time, supporting their club or their kid. That’s it.

I also love the line about it being a game. More importantly it’s a children’s game. Not the freakin’ Olympic Games. There are no gold medals given to the child that has the most outspoken parent.

It’s a game so if a child, yes including your child, gets hurts you are allowed to stop for a minute and give them a hug and make sure they are okay. You do not have to scream and yell at the them to get up or tell them to ‘man up’ or to ‘toughen up’ if they are balling their eyes out because they have been injured.

No, these children are not ‘sooks’. They play games with hard boots and balls and sometimes there are injuries. It happens. No one will think less of you if you run and make sure your child is okay. There is nothing at stake here other than your stupid pride.

Parents, as we all set out this weekend can we please remember one thing.

These are our children who are playing. They aren’t training for the AFL drafting or playing for a national NRL team. They are in neighbourhood comps kicking a ball with their mates.

Instead of hurling abuse left right and centre let’s try some strong encouragement instead, so we can create confident, skilled young adults with an admirable sense of sportsmanship.

Who knows we might even have some fun while doing it.