NEWS
 

Football Stands Together For Respect

  
Plans were unveiled today for Respect, a cross-game programme dedicated to improving standards of behaviour at all levels of football.
 
The programme will be implemented in professional and grassroots football, and encompasses not only respect towards match officials, but also the conduct of overly-competitive coaches and parents on the sidelines at grassroots youth games. 
 
It represents a shared commitment between The FA, Premier League, Football League, PFA, LMA, PGMO, County FAs and regional and local leagues. From this coming weekend, a range of new measures will be in place, to improve the relationship between players and match officials and conduct in the technical area at the top end of the game. When the non-league season kicks off, leagues up and down the country will be implementing measures to address the abuse and intimidation of referees and the excessive demands placed on young players.
 
The new Respect measures will be in place for the kick-off to the Football League season. There will also be a number of competition-specific initiatives, starting with The FA Community Shield on Sunday 10 August, including big screen messages, perimeter board advertising, and promotional films. In addition, the Manchester United and Portsmouth teams and the match officials will wear Respect shirts in the warm-up, and Respect sleeve badges during the game.
 
FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick said: “I’m delighted that the whole game is working together on this issue. There is a general agreement that something has to be done to improve levels of respect, for the game’s long-term health. 
“This has been a personal priority, and I would like to thank our various partner organisations for their support. This is not only about players and managers at the top of the game acknowledging the impact that their behaviour has further down the football pyramid, but also about addressing the most pressing issues in the grassroots game.
“Changing a culture is about long-term commitment to change negative attitudes and abusive behaviour. It needs the whole game working together to make a real difference, and that is what collectively we have done.” 
 
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore added: “Football engages, motivates and inspires – but at times we know it can spill over and get ugly. We all have a responsibility to deal with these excesses, and I sense there is a commitment from all quarters of the game – including the media – to deal with it.
“The Premier League, our clubs, the players and the referees are all engaged – we want to make sure that this ends up being much more than a campaign and results in making unacceptable behaviour just that. Unacceptable.”
 
Andy Williamson, Chief Operating Officer of The Football League said:  “It is vitally important that the professional game plays its part towards ensuring the success of this initiative.  Our matches contribute towards setting the tone for the whole domestic game, with the behaviour of players and managers being re-enacted on football pitches across the country every weekend. This message was relayed recently to all Football League club managers at their pre-season meetings.
“Rarely before has there been such determination and solidarity across the game on these important issues. It is therefore vital that we take this opportunity to make a lasting difference.”
 
PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor said: “The PFA support and endorse the Respect programme and welcome the involvement from all of the games’ stakeholders in sharing the responsibility.  We will continue to work with our members to remind them of the pivotal role they must play in this initiative to ensure its success.”
 
LMA Chief Executive Richard Bevan said: “On behalf of its members, the managers from the top four leagues in England , the LMA fully supports and endorses The FA’s Respect programme.
“As a representative body, the LMA is committed to working with all of the game’s stakeholders, the governing body, leagues, players, officials, clubs and spectators to share in the collective responsibility of improving standards at the top level of the game.  The LMA and its members recognize their role at the top of football’s pyramid and their impact in shaping the culture of the game at all levels.
“For the Respect programme to deliver real change it must be given time to become an integral part of the game.  The LMA will continue to communicate with all its members throughout the programme’s first season to ensure that the momentum behind the programme is maintained and that it is given every opportunity to succeed.”
 
Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe said: “Football is the most high profile sport in the world and with the new season about to start, the game is back in the spotlight. Footballers today are not just sportsmen, they are role models for young people around the world. 
“Passion is at the heart of the game, but being passionate doesn't mean disrespecting people. It's absolutely crucial that players, coaches, officials and spectators sign up to Respect. We need to see a commitment to change at all levels of the sport, and I'm grateful to the FA for leading the way."
 
 
Respect in the Professional Game
The Football Association, Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), League Managers Association (LMA) and Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) are working in partnership in the professional game, with the emphasis on the relationship between referees, and players and managers.
 
The key steps to be introduced in the Premier League and Football League are:
 

1.

 Referee managing the game, captains taking more responsibility for the behaviour of their team
Referees have been instructed to work with captains to manage the players and the game effectively. They have also been reminded of their responsibility to control the game by applying the Laws of the Game and dealing firmly with any open show of dissent by players. The instruction to referees is to stay and deal with dissent rather than moving away.
While the captain does not have any special privileges under the Laws of the Game, captains will be expected to take on more responsibility for the conduct of their team. Under the Respect programme, the referee will work with the captain to manage the players and the game effectively. The captain will act as the main contact point for the referee, and will be called over to an incident involving a team-mate even if he is some distance away.
 
2. Pre-match briefing meeting with referee and managers/captains
The referee will meet with the captains and managers (or a senior member of the coaching staff) at least one hour before kick-off to view the team colours, see the team-sheets but also to provide the referee with an opportunity to give a clear message of how he intends to manage the game and work with the captain to do this.
 
3. Team handshake before kick-off
This already happens in the Premier League and has been adopted by the Football League for the coming season.
 
4. Improved behaviour in the technical area
Managers/coaches/team officials should be removed to the stands if they leave the technical area to berate the match officials in breach of the Laws of the Game, or ignore the instructions of the Fourth Official to return to the bench after giving instructions and having a suitable amount of time to see if they have been carried out.
In addition, there will be no TV monitors in the technical areas at any level of the game. This is expressly prohibited by Premier League rules, which were amended in June this year, followed by a blanket ban from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for the Laws of the Game.
 
Respect in the National Game
Working with County FAs and regional/local leagues, The FA is opening up the Respect programme to the whole grassroots football pyramid. This week Brian Barwick is writing to 1300 leagues around the country to ask them to sign up to the Respect measures. 
 
The programme includes four practical steps to improve behaviour, both on the pitch and on the sidelines:
 

1.

 Codes of Conduct for players, referees, coaches and spectators. The codes of conduct set down basic principles which everyone must accept and adhere to, with related actions for repeated breaches.  
 
2. Designated Spectator’s Area demarcated by touchline barriers, keeping spectators about 2 metres back from the pitch. This allows the assistant referees to perform their function unimpeded, and in the pilot scheme has demonstrated a marked restraining effect on spectator behaviour. Spectators will be on the opposite touchline to the coaches. The Football Foundation will provide £1m of funding towards the barriers at youth games.
 
3. Referee managing the game, captains taking more responsibility for the behaviour of their team. 
 
Leagues are encouraged to opt into the programme by adopting the “Respect toolkit” provided by The FA. This includes:
 

*

 Guidance notes on the operation of the Respect steps, with versions tailored specifically to clubs, leagues, and referees.
* Order forms for obtaining touchline barriers at a specially negotiated rate  
* Codes of conduct  
* Captain’s guidance leaflets and Respect armbands
 
How it started
 
Respect started as The FA’s direct response to the abuse and intimidation of referees at grassroots level, and poor behaviour by over-competitive parents towards their children, as well as aggressive coaches and spectators on the sidelines.
 
Those issues were identified as the top priorities in the enormous consultation exercise undertaken by The FA in defining its vision for grassroots football, “Your Game, Your Say, Our Goal”, which compiled the views of over 37,000 participants, including players, coaches, referees, volunteers and fans. The feedback confirmed that parental pressure is one of the main reasons why young players drop out of the game, while poor behaviour by coaches, parents and players towards referees sees around 7,000 referees quit the game every year. 
 
On the back of that research, during the second half of last season The FA conducted a 10-week pilot scheme in 20 adult and youth leagues across the country. The pilot comprised a combination of three measures: allowing only the captain to speak to the referee, erecting barriers along the touchlines to keep spectators back, and codes of conduct with related sanctions for everyone involved in the participating clubs. Over 300 teams, 150 referees, and 4000 players were involved.
 
The measures were identified after looking at the work done in grassroots leagues around the country, and consulting with County FAs , leagues, referees, and child welfare specialists. The FA also produced posters, guidance notes and pocket guides for clubs, players and parents, as well as an online feedback system where designated referees, players, club officials and parents fed back on levels of behaviour and respect.
 
The positive feedback revealed that the measures had a tangible impact on behaviour on the pitch and sidelines, and informed The FA’s plans for the 2008-09 season. The “captains-only” initiative has been adapted on the basis of feedback from players and referees. Both groups wanted to retain a greater degree of interaction and communication. The detailed results will be communicated at the start of the non-league season.
 

For more details see www.TheFA.com/Respect