Diving/Simulation in the top flight rubbing off on kids?

[Gassin's finest]

So I walk across Ealing Common most evenings to get home from work, and during this welcome balmy weather there's a fair few games of footy going on there, mostly kids and lads having a boot about. There's one particular game between two teams of, I'd say, 15 year old lads going on that I have to walk straight past, so naturally I'm watching and jealously wishing I was 15 years younger and doing the same.

Anyhoo, this one lad gets the ball and charges at the goal, but gets tackled from a fairly hefty challenge, yet perfectly fine for park footy. But the lad crumbles to the floor about 5 seconds afterwards, clutching his ankle and lying motionless while his mates laughed at him. I found it difficult not to laugh too!

I mean, really? Diving and feigning in jury in the park? The only time I did that as a kid was when I caught the ball full in the mush from about a yard away.

Is this how kids playing footy see professional football these days and think that this is an acceptable part of the game, and sport in general? Is it breeding a generation of nancy's and cheats?

Discuss.

 

[Kendall]

It's nothing new. My best mate was notorious for it when we were 8 or 9, which is nearly 20 years ago now. When we played for rival teams he even got me booked by diving and then grabbing on to my foot and pulling it into his stomach, conning the ref into thinking I stamped him.

 

[Sauniere]

I run a kids football team and have done for the last 5 years, we're moving to under 11 in September. In all of that time I've seen one player acting like what you've described above. Unfortunately he was in my team so it was embarrassing to say the least. Strangely he only does it when he miscontrols it/makes a mistake . He is a very good player individually but not a team player. He is fast and has taken some thumping challenges and been hacked down in every game but he doesn't dive or feign injury at these times, just when he thinks he's looked stupid really.

In kids football you have to be seen to be running on to the field so even though the parents in my team had seen him go down lots of times the opposition parents hadn't so if I left him writhing on the floor in feigned agony it was at the risk of the other parents thinking I was a poor coach and left myself open to complaints to the local FA.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, sick to death of running to treat him only to find he was shamming I told him that each and every time he appeared injured I would take him off the pitch for a minimum of 10 minutes. (at our age group you can have roll on roll off subs ) The first time I took him off he was made to sit on the bench and was begging to go back on. I'm pleased to say this cut down his diving and play acting drastically. This player left my team at the end of the season as I had to reduce my squad ready for 9v9 format. On the few occasions I spoke to his dad about him play acting, his dad said "you won't be complaining if he wins you a free kick or a penalty to win the game" so the mindset from that particular family was there to see.

As mentioned above, I've never seen any other kid acting in this way. I would expect it does become more prevalent in the older age groups though so it perhaps needs to be looked at by the local leagues and FAs to try and stamp it out earlier.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

It's not just during games of football though - i'm a cub leader (roughly 8-10 year olds) and where some of them are typical kids, who will take all the skin off their leg and just charge off to climb the same tree again, there is a growing number of "whiners". These are the kids who complain like they're being paid to do it. They slip over on grass, they start limping and whining and whatever, they play games they stop and cry at every knock, or get really angry over some perceived wrongdoing - when i was a nipper i didn't have the motivation or the attention span to let any of that bother me, and i'm pretty sure none of my mates did either, but it's becoming more and more common.

Mummy has taught her little precious that he/she's special and dotes on them, so they expect it from everyone. Daddy has taught them that if no-one listens to their complaints and whining, then they should get angry and make demands.

Andy the cub leader has taught them that, unless a bone is sticking out, to shut the hell up and get on with it. Hell, rub some dirt in it and creep out your wimpier mates by trying to wipe it on them, whatever, just save the bawling for when it's necessary. I'm a patient guy, i will sit and let a kid bawl all day if it's attention seeking, they're the ones missing out, not me. And trust, you can tell attention seeking from genuine distress.

Precious kids with pretentious parents, poor role models on the telly and a general attitude problem are a scourge.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Kids will imitate their heroes, whether that means the good or the bad. If mooning becomes the new trend next season, be assured that small bums will be bared on junior pitches everywhere in the UK.

 

[Lufti]

I run a kids football team and have done for the last 5 years, we're moving to under 11 in September. In all of that time I've seen one player acting like what you've described above. Unfortunately he was in my team so it was embarrassing to say the least. Strangely he only does it when he miscontrols it/makes a mistake . He is a very good player individually but not a team player. He is fast and has taken some thumping challenges and been hacked down in every game but he doesn't dive or feign injury at these times, just when he thinks he's looked stupid really.

In kids football you have to be seen to be running on to the field so even though the parents in my team had seen him go down lots of times the opposition parents hadn't so if I left him writhing on the floor in feigned agony it was at the risk of the other parents thinking I was a poor coach and left myself open to complaints to the local FA.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, sick to death of running to treat him only to find he was shamming I told him that each and every time he appeared injured I would take him off the pitch for a minimum of 10 minutes. (at our age group you can have roll on roll off subs ) The first time I took him off he was made to sit on the bench and was begging to go back on. I'm pleased to say this cut down his diving and play acting drastically. This player left my team at the end of the season as I had to reduce my squad ready for 9v9 format. On the few occasions I spoke to his dad about him play acting, his dad said "you won't be complaining if he wins you a free kick or a penalty to win the game" so the mindset from that particular family was there to see.

As mentioned above, I've never seen any other kid acting in this way. I would expect it does become more prevalent in the older age groups though so it perhaps needs to be looked at by the local leagues and FAs to try and stamp it out earlier.

Nice, you had Suarez's son in your team?

 

[Sauniere]

Nice, you had Suarez's son in your team?

LOL it seemed like it from the above!!

 

[Main Man]

It's nothing new. My best mate was notorious for it when we were 8 or 9, which is nearly 20 years ago now. When we played for rival teams he even got me booked by diving and then grabbing on to my foot and pulling it into his stomach, conning the ref into thinking I stamped him.

That was your best mate!?!?

 

[Main Man]

I have been heavily involved with youth football coaching for exactly ten years now.

Simulation really is non-existent on the whole, whereas I find dissent to be much more prevalent alarmingly.

You obviously get the odd isolated incident of simulation, but that is to be expected.

Men's football however is a completely different ball game.