'Enough is enough' - Youth football organisers in Bristol warn violence and abuse won't be tolerated

  • Watch Ross Arnott's report here.

"Enough is enough" - That is the message from the organisers of youth football in Bristol as they warn teams could be banned from playing for more than a month.

Volunteers who run the Avon Youth League, where more than 300 youth teams play across the region, say that the levels of violence, abuse and disrespect have gotten worse.

It comes one year after all fixtures were suspended by organisers for the same reasons.

On that occasion, it came just weeks after a player was headbutted by a parent.

Martin Peters says that 'enough is enough'.

Now though, those running the league say the situation is "out of control" and that clearer action must be taken to prevent it from getting worse.

One under-10 football match was abandoned in recent weeks after a fight broke out in the car park between spectators.

"We have had to put these measures in place, enough is enough now," Martin Peters the General Secretary of the league said.

"We have given teams the opportunity to correct their own behaviour and they haven't and so we reluctantly have to take this action.

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"Our hope is that this warning stops this happening, it is a really serious issue.

"Ultimately this is kid's football and everyone needs to enjoy it. Football is a sport for all and it needs to stay that way.

"We are at the point where enough is enough and we will 100% look to carry through on any bans."

Under the new rules teams can be banned for a minimum of 28 days if they are found guilty of poor behaviour and abuse.

If they repeatedly offend then Martin says they will be removed from the league altogether.

Mike Lansdown manages two youth teams for Thornbury Town in the league and he says that he has seen a clear deterioration in behaviour.

"As a representative of a team that plays in this division I am embarrassed that it has got to this point," he said.

"It is something that I have noticed a lot more since Covid.

Matt coaches a team in the league and says that he has seen a deterioration in behaviour.

"You see people stepping away from the game now, it is incredibly difficult to get volunteers involved now. People don't want to do it.

"You are also seeing players step away from the game which is really upsetting."

It comes just a couple of weeks after the Somerset FA released a statement encouraging people to review their own behaviour.

The CEO of the organisation Jon Pike said that whilst the majority of people playing the sport in the region were behaving well, there were some underlying issues that prompted the FA reaction.

He also told ITV News that since the start of 2022 incidents of abuse and ill-discipline were up by 50%.

It was also revealed that a large number of the reported cases were in youth football.

Cases involving youth players and referees have risen by an alarming 66% from this time in 2022.

Somerset FA CEO Jon Pike says that the region has seen a 50% increase in reported incidents.

"I have played football and been involved in the sport since I was a child, it is an integral part of my life so I am disappointed," he said.

"It can't continue, it is turning people away from the sport and anyone who loves it will know ultimately that it is disappointing.

"For the vast majority of people, it is not a problem but we can tackle this issue by reviewing our behaviour and challenging poor discipline."

There are some measures being introduced by the FA to try and combat violence and abuse of match officials.

There are trials of body-worn cameras taking place across the country and there is also an option for point deductions for teams found guilty of abusing an official.