What is Respect?
Respect is the collective responsibility of everyone involved in football, at all levels, to create a fair, safe and enjoyable environment in which the game can take place. It is the behavioral code for football.
The FA’s Respect campaign is a continuous FA prgoramme, not a one-off initiative.
The first season of Respect.
Throughout the first season of Respect (2008-09), its impact was monitored. Below are some of the headline findings:
• The use of a team captains to assist the referee to manage player behaviour is considered to be of value.
• Compared to the same period of 2007-08 season there has been and 8% rise in referee numbers.
• The FA is ahead of its recruitment targets for referees and currently has nearly 26,000 registered referees.
• The number of serious assults on referees declined by 10% in 2008-09 but over 500 referees still reported being subject to physical abuse.
• In the amateur game cautions for dissent have risen by 3% but there has been a decline in charges for misconduct and the number of dismissals.
• The use of a Designated Spectators’ Area marked by barriers, a painted line or cones has been an effective way of improving spectator barriers.
• The vast majority of those involved in football agree that the Respect programme is definitely needed.
What do we want to achieve with Respect?
1. There will be a base of registered referees in England sufficient for the demands of the game at every level.
2. There will be zero tolerance for assaults on referees.
3. There will be an improvement in on-field player discipline, particularly in the area of dissent to referees and in competitions that have an established record of poor discipline.
4. There will be a ‘step change’ in youth football on what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour from parents and spectators.
5. We will work with coaches to create an enjoyable learning environment for children’s football.
Become part of Respect
For leagues and clubs, the Respect programme includes four practical steps to improve behaviour- on the pitch and on the sidelines- in and at matches throughout the country:
Step 1: Codes of Conduct.
Codes of Conduct aren’t new and are already in use by some clubs (this is mandatory for FA Charter Standard Clubs). Some are successful; some are forgotten and simply not acted upon. Respect brings them to life by supporting and strengthening the Codes of Conduct with possible consequences.
There are Respect Codes of Conduct for:
• Young Players
• Adult Players
• Spectators and Parents/Carers
• Coaches, Team Management and Club Officials
• Match Officials
These can all be found on the right hand side of the page under Related Links.
Step 2: Designated Spectators’ Area
The creation of designated areas for spectators is a key element of Respect but is a measure largely aimed at youth football where large numbers of spectators can be attracted, some of whom may behave poorly.
Step 3: The captatin takes responsibility.
Often problems start at matches when individual players are abusive towards the referee, which escalates into several players confronting the referee at the same time. Respect aims to stop this cycle before it starts. Only the captain can challenge decisions made by the referee and the captain needs to manage his/her team to ensure this is always observed.
Step 4: The referee manages the game.
As the referee, you are expected to work with the team captains to manage the players and game effectively. Referees must control the game by applying the Laws of the Game and deal firmly with any open show of dissent by players.
Huntingdonshire FA has invited every league in the county to sign-up to the principles of Respect and to introduce the 4 practical steps at club level to ensure football is played in a safe, positive environment.
The programme is free to join and there are resources available to support clubs to introduce Respect.
For further details please contact Matthew Boucher on 01480 447483, or alan.poulain@huntsfa.com