Joint statement from The Carlisle Glass Longhorn Youth League, Carlisle City Sunday League, Cumberland County League, Egremont & District Sunday League, Penrith & District Junior Football League, West Cumbria Youth Football League, Workington & District Sunday League and Cumberland FA leagues.

As a group we carry the responsibility for ensuring our game is an enjoyable place to play, coach, officiate and watch football within Cumberland.  

We are therefore concerned by the reported increase in poor behaviour.

The game should be safe, fun and inclusive for players of all ages, abilities and experiences.

And the good news is that the vast majority of those involved in our game do so in a positive way with Cumberland FA statistics, from this season, suggesting that 99% of the games went without any incident.  

So, there is clearly just a small, but increasing, number of people who appear to have lost sight of the fundamental principles of football and what is and what is not acceptable in terms of behaviour.

Let us make it clear to those people that your actions determine the enjoyment of the players, spectators, and officials around you.  Every shout, argument, unpleasant comment, confrontation, threat or violent act, can and will impact the experience of every other individual who loves the game and is therefore unacceptable 

Football is an emotive and passionate game, but this shouldn’t be and is not an excuse for any such behaviour.  

We know that there will be, on occasions, poor practice from opponents.   However, this is not within your control, and is not a reason for mirroring actions, as two wrongs don’t make a right.  Instead, if you are ever aggrieved then, after the game, you can report your concerns to your club, via your Coach or Club Welfare Officer, or to The County FA or your respective league to allow them to investigate and take any necessary action.  

Similarly, there will be times when referees get it wrong, or make a decision that you believe incorrect and goes against you.  We can assure you that, whilst you may not always agree with their decisions, match officials, whether qualified or volunteering, are not your opposition. They are doing it to because they enjoy it, or if volunteering, to ensure that the game goes ahead and so if they do not have a positive experience they will not continue.  

Likewise, the league and club officials who spend many hours organising your games and the club coaches who arrive before and leave after you are all volunteers, who are not paid for what they do.  This means that if they feel that their efforts are not appreciated, or they have a bad experience that they are also likely to walk away from the league, club, or the game all together.

Referees and Volunteers are the foundation of the grassroots game, so it should go without saying that any loss of a volunteer will have a direct consequence on your ability to be involved in a match, as without them the game simply does not exist.  

So, we urge everyone to reflect upon and manage their own behaviour to be more considerate, more responsible, and more respectful to everyone. 

In doing so you will play your part in protecting the game we all love. 

Signed 

The Carlisle Glass Longhorn Youth League, Carlisle City Sunday League, Cumberland County League, Egremont & District Sunday League, Penrith & District Junior Football League, West Cumbria Youth Football League, Workington & District Sunday League and Cumberland FA leagues.