|
The club experienced the full force of the FA’s "Respect" initiative for the first time on Saturday, 27th
September, when the First team played at home to Longlevens and the thirds played away to Stroud Harriers in the County Cup.
As yet, neither of the Leagues, in which the club competes, have fully embraced the tenets of the much heralded "Respect"
campaign; a campaign which is the result of months of surveys carried out by the FA, covering every facet of football in this
country in a quest to discover how to reverse trends that see youngsters put off from playing and the number of referees diminish
year on year. But the GFA, being the local arm of the national governing body, is right there at the vanguard of this drive
to eradicate everything that is poisoning the game from the grassroots up and has, therefore, ensured from the outset that
every one of the initiative’s key points will apply to all its own competitions this season.
Not that it has told very many people about it! Apparently, as a club, we received nothing from the County FA, to accompany
the notification of the draw, which might enlighten us as to our responsibilities with regard to "Respect". There were no
great fanfares, no press coverage, no give away leaflets – nothing. For all the insistence that there must be designated
Spectator and technical areas, armbands for the captains, codes of conduct to which each player, and the referee, and club
officials, and people walking their dog on the road alongside the car park, are required to sign up, the only thing that was
different about the match at Bishops Cleeve on Saturday was the fact that both sides were compelled to line up and shake hands
before the match, as shown below.
|
| How respectful can you get......?? |
And, down in the Five Valleys, the third team, on their pitch behind the razor wire, didn’t even do that. Now, it
is all very worthy but we must wonder how a handshake before the game is going to get people flooding back to refereeing,
eager to go out on their own, dressed in black, on a cold, wet, Saturday afternoon, to begrudgingly get paid £20 in assorted
loose change, having had every other person in the immediate vicinity disagree with everything they have done for the last
hour and a half.
But, then again, perhaps it did work. Gaining "Respect" for the opposition would certainly explain the way in which the
first team defended in the opening 29 minutes of the game against Longlevens, who were basically able to score at will, even
direct from a corner! It might also explain why, down in Stroud, the thirds let their opponents pull a goal back every time
they opened up a two goal lead.
On the other hand, its effect does seem to have been limited. It didn’t feel even vaguely respectful for Longlevens
to take advantage of the holes that appeared in our defence, as we chased a game that they had already won, to score three
more goals, which they didn’t need, in the last five minutes. And how much "Respect" was involved in the text message
that the club chairman received on Saturday evening? Emanating from 07900 386454, a number that had yet to be identified,
it said, quite simply, " Ha Ha u lost".
Respect? Nuff said, really
|
| Please send any articles you might have to James Mole |
|
