Spectators may be banished
Abusive behaviour leads Island association to ponder drastic move
A minor hockey association on Vancouver Island has plans for over-the-top parents.
The Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association (VIAHA), which has 7,300 participants and 1,100 officials, has publicly warned its members that spectators may be banned from the rink if the verbal abuse at the kids’ games continues.
According to VIAHA president Jim Humphrey, they are tired of crazed parents and fans berating referees, coaches and even players.
Humphrey said they are noticing this hockey season is by far the worst they have seen when it comes to fan behaviour.
“The family members are the instigators,” he said. “It comes from the mother and father, the grandpas and grandmothers and the aunts and uncles,” he said. “I have been involved in hockey for over 50 years and these parents and family members have lost perspective. This is the worst season we have ever seen.”
The fan abuse has made it tough to recruit the young referees needed to officiate the games and Humphrey also said the behaviour is resulting in kids quitting the game. “The last thing we want to do is stop fans from going into the stands,” he said. “But we are at our wit’s end.”
He notes that a lot of the bad behaviour by parents starts with the nine and 10-year-olds who are playing Atom level hockey. “These parents seem to have it in their mind that their kid is destined for the big show in the NHL,” he said.
The complaints the association gets come from fans, coaches, officials and the players themselves, notes Humphrey. “It is pretty sad when a 13-year-old kid is deflated and starts to cry on the bench because he is embarrassed at what his mother and father are yelling at the referee,” he said.
According to Dan Payne, a vicepresident with the association, the move is a last-ditch move as they are having problems with parents at all ages and all competitive levels.
“We are taking a stance,” Payne said. “It is really sad, especially for our younger officials. They are 14 or 15, they are young and make mistakes and get intimidated by the adults.”
Larry Feist the publisher of Hockey Now, which covers all hockey around the province below the NHL level, said banning spectators could see huge opposition. “I think we all need to calm down and take a big breath.”