Cumberland FA chief executive Ben Snowdon has been giving his county’s view on the recent decision by the FA to implement points penalties for serious misconduct.
Grassroots football across the country will be subject to the loss of points for clubs whose players or officials are involved in incidents of serious misconduct.
He said: “Acts of discrimination and assault or attempted assault, physical contact or attempted physical contact against a match officially are thankfully still uncommon within Cumberland.
“We are aware that these offences are slowly growing and that even one serious incident can be enough to dramatically impact a referee, or a player, so we must continue to address the problematic few that continue to display these unacceptable behaviours.
“It is also clear that in some instances, specifically with repeated offenders as targeted through this initiative, that fines and suspensions are maybe not having the intended effect of improving behaviours.
“It is hoped that the threat of now having a possible impact on their team and team-mates, may get these individuals to consider the consequences of their actions and think twice before displaying such conduct in the future.
“This is not only a demonstration, from grassroots football, that behaviour of this kind is not acceptable, but also an indication of our commitment towards maintaining a positive behavioural culture within Cumberland.
“In doing so we constructively and positively challenge the professional game to do likewise, supporting the ongoing work led by the likes of Howard Webb and others within the FA for the overall good of the game.”
