Parents banned from watching children playing sport

Outraged parents have been banned from watching their children play after-school sports – because it puts too much pressure on them. Coventry Sports Foundation, which runs dozens of after-school clubs across the city, wants to create a ”relaxing environment” for youngsters to play competitive sports. The charitable trust also cites ”child protection issues” and says children will get greater enjoyment from sports ”without pressure from the sidelines”. Parents have been turned away from the school gates and bosses are even rumoured to be considering bouncers to enforce the ban.

Furious Neil Carter, 47, branded the decision ”ridiculous” after he was booted out of the changing rooms minutes before his five-year-old son Joshua was due to play football. The dad-of-three said: ”I had hoped to watch Joshua for the first ten minutes because he hadn’t been to an after-school club before. He can be quite shy so I wanted to stay with him to make sure he got on alright. We got him dressed and I was about to leave the room when someone from the Coventry Sports Foundation said we couldn’t watch. They said it was to do with the foundation’s child protection policy. I was so disappointed. It’s an absolutely ridiculous rule.”

A scene from one of my favourite films, Kes. It reminds me of my youth.


Coventry Sports Foundation is understood to have introduced the ban at 95 after-school clubs in 43 primary schools last month. The company runs football, netball, badminton, tennis, basketball, volleyball and cricket classes and matches for kids aged between five and 11. Swimming classes and environmental projects are also organised by the group. Proud parents had often turned up to cheer their kids on in big matches and to watch their development at sports.

Mum-of-two Diane Bryan, who used to watch her son seven-year-old Ethan, play football after school, said: ”Every parent wants to support their child. Parents should be banned individually if they cause a problem, not everyone at once.” Mum Abi Wood, 32, who is banned from watching seven-year-old daughter Jessica play netball, said: ”I was flabbergasted when I heard about this. I pay for my girl to take part in the clubs so I should be able to watch her. The people who run the after-school clubs will go to any length to stop us seeing our own kids. A few of the other parents have even told me that they heard bouncers might stand watch at the school gates.”