Violence in Adult Club Football

[Milltown Row2]

Two players fighting has f**k all to do with a ref, players running on to the pitch has nothing to do with the ref.. 30 players wanting to fight it out, again nothing to do with the ref..

A ref making a 'mistake' (in the eyes of a player) does not mean they can knock shite out of each other.. once people understand that then we can talk sense. The stupid age old cry of ' you caused that ref' is said by stupid people

I've played football and hurling well into my 40's, I've never hit anyone because of the ref

Players galore beating the crap out of each other and supporters shouting f**k sake ref.... what do they expect from the ref??

That's true.
There are incidents that develop out of how the game is reffed though. Players will push the boundaries. If a ref doesn't put someone off when it appears he should have, the next player will plough in with his version of a "similar challenge". Then it gets out of hand very easily.

More crap, a player hits another player cause he wants to, the ref has nothing to do with it, this is a lazy excuse but carry on justifying it by blaming ref..

I've seen plenty games were the ref has been atrocious but no one thought, let's have a fight cause the ref is rubbish today!

[Itchy]

It's simple, rule from croke park is needed. Multi player brawl means both teams hit with compulsory fine in the thousands or expulsion from next year's championship. Mass brawls will end over night.

GAA top brass needs to lead on this now. This is putting parents off send kids to gaa when they grown men acting like common street thugs

[Milltown Row2]

If you think that how the game is being reffed and what he's letting go can't influence players' actions, you've lost it.
For example, if a player gets a slap and the ref doesn't act. Through frustration & a sense that justice isn't being done, he retaliates. Row breaks out. Had the ref acted initially- no row.
Of course, this isn't always the case but it can happen.

So you're justifying it? Hmmm

So if I give you a slap and the ref doesn't see it or react the way you want then frustration makes you want to take the law into your own hands and retaliate?

I've seen muppets react to a tough tackle and look up at the ref gurning for a free, not get it and run after the next person and blatter him and say 'you caused that' !

Play the game to the whistle, play hard as you want within the rules and go home without making a dick of yourself.

It's attitude like that, that actually gives morons a licence to think they can get away with it because the ref didn't give him what he wanted..

If two players want to go toe to toe then knock yourselves out, the dicks that way in and balloons who jump the fence neeed to seriously look at themselves

I can't believe people are blaming the refs for these incidents, firstly on secondhand word of mouth or a two minute video, hyperbole

[Milltown Row2]

You said had the ref refereed it right then no fights! That's a stupid comment..

I've played in countless games or managed the team were I thought the ref was poor, it didn't end in a brawl, and by the same token the best ref who's ref'd a tough championship match and caught all the incidents but hey ho, mass brawl kicks off, refs fault of course.

[Milltown Row2]

Poor refereeing decisions can play a part in rows breaking out.

Nothing stupid about that.

Poor indisciplined players/supporters cause more rows than a ref.

I've never seen a ref lash out during a match and I could tell you there are plenty times in a game that supporters lose the run of themselves and could go with a good kicking, but hey the ref takes that and doesn't start a mass brawl

That's not me talking as a ref, that is coming completely from a past player/manager

[dublin7]

Blaming referrees is for large brawls is typical of players and their refusal to accept personal responsibility. If every player who was fouled/hit late retaliated because he didn't get a free or his opponent booked/sent off there would be rows in every game.
Why does the ref keep getting blamed and personal responsibility for players is blatantly ignored. That's part of the problem there. Also the refusal to accept suspensions in GAA is something you don't see in other sports.

County boards/Croke park need to show some moral courage and start suspending/disqualifying teams from championships when they get into huge brawls. Fines don't work.

We had the farcical situation in the summer when Tyrone & Armagh u20s had players suspended only to appeal and have them all reversed. The outrage would have been funny if it wasn't true. Imagine the cheek to suspend players for fighting!!!! Should have just kicked both teams out of the competition. It's been done to Dublin in the past so the precedence is there

[trailer]

1 rule needed to stop brawls. 3rd person in automatic red card and 6 month ban. Soon put the brakes on all out melees.

[stephenite]

Both Derry clubs should be suspended from the association for 12 months. All teams amd all competitions.

Not a chance it will happen but that sort of behaviour is appalling.

[Wildweasel74]

It has to be more than the 3rd man in; the following 4&5th men in need tp pick up suspension too: Mark Lynch got the line for 3rd man into a scuffle against kildare but it kicked off with the 4th man the keeper entering the scuffle@! Still wasnt a punch thrown but 3rd man got the line

[theticklemister]

When's the last time you seen a man get a black cards for third man entry?

[Stall the Bailer]

The video showed the complete lack of respect there is within the GAA for others outside their own team. A lot of members don't respect their opponents, officials, club committee, county board other team supporters. It seems to be fair game to say what you want about them and at times do what you want.

[Stall the Bailer]

Both Derry clubs should be suspended from the association for 12 months. All teams amd all competitions.

Not a chance it will happen but that sort of behaviour is appalling.

You can't just make up new punishments as this is why teams appeal and get off. Which makes it worse.

New rules need to be implemented. Such as limiting how many can be along the side line. Do other sports have as many inside the wire? 10 subs, 2 from management team and 1 medical person would be more than enough.
New rule that if subs enter playing area without subs slip they get a ban.
Anyone outside the wire who enters gets an even tougher ban.

[brokencrossbar1]

My own club has been involved in these types of incidents over the years. More than I'd like to admit. Some reactionary, some where we were instigators. All of them wrong. I go to games these days and fear it. My youngest son hates going to games and won't play because of what he has seen on the field. I try to say to him that it's not normally like this but who am I kidding. I will go to a minor final tonight and a senior senior tomorrow night, both games against fierce rivals of ours in Armagh Harps and Cullyhanna. There will be incidents. There will be fights. There will be blow ups in the crowd possibly. How do I say to my youngest son to come and cheer his cousin on? I love the game and I live the game. I will be on a field at 10 tomorrow morning coaching u12s and trying to instill what I can in them. As a coach I want to make them better footballers, I want to help them win stuff, I love the thrill of seeing them do well, I dread the sense of devastation they have when they lose. But they are kids. What I try as best as possible is to make them be respectful win or lose. If they are a bit better footballers when they leave my time with them but much better young men then I've done my job.

This leads me to the issue of violence. It's is ingrained from too many levels. It is bred from underage. I see it through lack of discipline and respect at younger levels. If they don't learn the lessons then they will continue into adult hood and then it's gone. There has to be a long term approach to change this, between players and club members. A lot of the anger on the field can be driven from the crowd as well. 'FFS are you gonna stand up to them and hit them a slap?'  'Don't let thon yella f**ker do that to you?'  Guess what, players are well fit to mind themselves without the 'fans' encouraging violence. Time to have a change

[Substandard]

My own club has been involved in these types of incidents over the years. More than I'd like to admit. Some reactionary, some where we were instigators. All of them wrong. I go to games these days and fear it. My youngest son hates going to games and won't play because of what he has seen on the field. I try to say to him that it's not normally like this but who am I kidding. I will go to a minor final tonight and a senior senior tomorrow night, both games against fierce rivals of ours in Armagh Harps and Cullyhanna. There will be incidents. There will be fights. There will be blow ups in the crowd possibly. How do I say to my youngest son to come and cheer his cousin on? I love the game and I live the game. I will be on a field at 10 tomorrow morning coaching u12s and trying to instill what I can in them. As a coach I want to make them better footballers, I want to help them win stuff, I love the thrill of seeing them do well, I dread the sense of devastation they have when they lose. But they are kids. What I try as best as possible is to make them be respectful win or lose. If they are a bit better footballers when they leave my time with them but much better young men then I've done my job.

This leads me to the issue of violence. It's is ingrained from too many levels. It is bred from underage. I see it through lack of discipline and respect at younger levels. If they don't learn the lessons then they will continue into adult hood and then it's gone. There has to be a long term approach to change this, between players and club members. A lot of the anger on the field can be driven from the crowd as well. 'FFS are you gonna stand up to them and hit them a slap?'  'Don't let thon yella f**ker do that to you?'  Guess what, players are well fit to mind themselves without the 'fans' encouraging violence. Time to have a change

It takes a while to change or instil a culture within a group, a team and ultimately the club- I always think that values are as important as skills, or at least should complement them, when coaching.  I spend most of my time coaching schools teams, and while there are occasionally dust-ups, they are much rarer than the club scene.  I'd say partially because there would be more of a sense of discipline through the school environment, whereas with clubs you will come across volatile coaches/ outright lunatics over teams, which only further raises the likelihood of incidents, from u12 to adult level.
One thing I've often wondered about which might help would be for referees to rate teams in terms of players', management and supporters conduct, and that at the end of the year clubs be rewarded based on the overall scores. 
Best of luck with the upcoming games!

[angermanagement]

1 rule needed to stop brawls. 3rd person in automatic red card and 6 month ban. Soon put the brakes on all out melees.

I think the idea sounds great, but what if a young player is getting a real hammering from his opponent, surely running in and trying to stop it shouldn't result in a 6 month ban.