All Sunday fixtures were cancelled due to poor sideline behaviour.
Photo: THP Creative
All junior rugby league matches in the Waikato have been cancelled due to what organisers say has been an “unacceptable increase” in poor sideline behaviour including fights and abuse.
League organisers pointed to ongoing incidents at Hopuhopu Sports Park in Ngāruawāhia.
In a Facebook statement, Waikato Junior Rugby League lists a litany of incidents – “adults engaging in physical altercations in car park areas, fights occurring in non-permitted areas, threats being made, verbal abuse directed at our junior referees, and our operations staff being subjected to inappropriate and unacceptable treatment.”
“This decision has not been made lightly,” chairperson Jamie-Lee Marriot said. “The safety and wellbeing of our tamariki, rangatahi, officials and volunteers remains our highest priority.”
She went on to say that the “current environment” did not reflect the values of the game, “nor does it provide a safe and supportive space for our community”.
All Sunday fixtures have been cancelled, including those associated with the Waikato competition.
The board said it would work with clubs to address the issues. It wanted to ensure “appropriate standards” were in place in the future.
Marriot thanked the league community for its understanding and ongoing commitment to creating a “positive environment”.
Earlier this month, Waikato Rugby chief executive Dr Amy Marfell also fired a warning shot across her community, condemning adult misbehaviour on the sidelines of youth rugby.
“Young people in our region deserve much more than screaming from the sidelines,” she wrote in an open letter posted to social media. “More than abuse directed at referees, coaches, volunteers, other players and parents.
“More than adults who lose all perspective over a game.”
Days earlier, parents reportedly punched two children and put another in a headlock in an U14 school rugby match between St John’s College and Fraser High School.
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