Pushy parents to be held back by barriers at junior football to stop them abusing referees

Every proud father may secretly hope his child will play for England one day.

But some over-zealous parents take their support a bit too far.

Now pushy mums and dads will be held back by barriers at junior football to stop them abusing referees.

Northumberland FA is introducing the measure after a survey highlighted growing fears about the behaviour of mums and dads at children's games.

It revealed 86 per cent of people involved in junior football had seen parents abuse match officials.

FA bosses also discovered 71 per cent of people thought the worst behaviour was caused by adults.

And they revealed a worrying shortage of referees as officials quit the game in response to parental aggression.

The county FA will pilot the barriers in its Northumberland Association of Boys Clubs league from the start of the season as part of a national bid to improve behaviour at junior football.

They are designed to put a distance between spectators and the action in order to stamp out verbal attacks on referees and reduce pressure on young players.

Stuart Leason, county development manager at the Northumberland FA, said moving parents back just a few yards had made a big difference in trials.

He said that the abuse of referees at senior matches and the behaviour of parents at junior games were two of the main target areas.

And he pointed to a national survey which showed worries about mums and dads at junior football was a concern across the country.

Mr Leason said: ‘Putting a barrier in place has been the most positive measure of all the initiatives we are running.

'Moving the spectators back just a little bit has made a big difference, even when the barrier is just some cones.’

The barriers to be used at next season's games will see a row of wooden stakes in the ground joined together with a ribbon.

Mr Leason said a trial of the barriers at a recent junior tournament in  Corbridge had already proved successful.

He said: ‘The feedback we had from the festival at Corbridge was superb, and the feedback from referees has been that this is the most important initiative.’

The barrier scheme will be piloted at games in the Northumberland Association of Boys Clubs league, which consists of clubs from across the region from a variety of age ranges, next season.

Mr Leason said he was also determined to crack down on abuse from spectators in a move to bring more referees into the game.

The county FA has set itself a target of recruiting 100 referees over the next four years, increasing the number of county officials to 363.