As the cricket season comes to an end, I had the privilege of travelling around various grounds on the weekend and being entertained by some enthralling matches played with great skill by both our young and senior players.
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It was really uplifting to see so many parents, grandparents and of course wonderful volunteers on the sidelines giving their encouragement and support to the young players giving their all.
This great advertisement for sport has been played out each weekend over the cricket season and at other sports and sporting venues.
It will no doubt be repeated throughout winter where most junior clubs employ a firm policy of no abuse of umpires and officials.
Northern NSW Football has upped the ante on this front and now has in place a Match Official Support Standards - Zero Tolerance policy which can see players sent off and clubs fined and deducted competition points for abuse of match officials at all levels.
In announcing the policy NNSWF CEO Peter Haynes said NNSWF was fully committed to changing the culture towards match officials in its premier competitions which would require a whole game approach to changing behaviours, attitudes and actions of players, coaches and spectators.
"Enough is enough. The time for talk is over. It is time for action and we are totally committed to this course of action," Haynes said.
"One of the hardest things to do in any walk of life be it sport or business is changing culture. But we are fully committed to taking a lead role on this and driving the cultural change we want to see in our sport in our region."
It's a policy some of the supporters at a couple of senior cricket games on the weekend need to have a look at, because some of their comments crossed the line with continued abuse of umpires and even allegations of cheating.
What was all the more concerning was that there were children, who had shown such great sporting behaviour earlier in the morning or the day before, present to watch and no doubt tempted to mimic in the future with the jibs earning cheap laughs from fellow supporters.
Decisions go for and against you, and we are teaching children that accepting that is part of proper sporting behaviour. It's a pity that our messaging is not consistent when it comes to some adults.
To put it in parlance they may understand better, 'pull your bloody heads in'.
Michael Hartshorn, acting editor ACM Upper Hunter
Michael Hartshorn
Since starting in 1985 at the then Melbourne Herald, journalism has taken me around Australia from Victoria, to the Northern Territory, Cairns in Queensland and now Port Stephens. After all those years there is still something special about informing and connecting with readers.
Since starting in 1985 at the then Melbourne Herald, journalism has taken me around Australia from Victoria, to the Northern Territory, Cairns in Queensland and now Port Stephens. After all those years there is still something special about informing and connecting with readers.
