I was asked elsewhere what my view was on a position being adopted regarding allowing children to wear tracksuit bottoms while playing football. This was my response ..
Personally I feel that "child protection" and "health and safety" are often cited not by those who genuinely care about the safety of the child/individual but who have one eye on the possible litigation that may follow if the low frequency/high loss scenario does occur. That is why I support the premise that a child should be exposed to risky situations, but those that can be managed. For example, the law(s of the game) requires me not to allow the wearing of tracksuit bottoms other than by a goalkeeper. If a child wants to wear tracksuit bottoms to play football, I have to ask why?
If it is to protect against injury, then that child should not be afforded any greater protection than other players, so I would not be happy to allow them, in isolation, to wear them. If it was for religious reasons, then the child should be allowed to wear them. If it was solely to keep the child warm, then I have to question are there other children also playing in that game who may be too cold to enjoy it? If yes, then we really all should be at home.
This leads on to whether we, in the northern hemisphere, play football at junior levels at the wrong time of the year. The top level of the women's game in England have just moved to a summer season. Maybe children should play then too?
Continue reading...
Personally I feel that "child protection" and "health and safety" are often cited not by those who genuinely care about the safety of the child/individual but who have one eye on the possible litigation that may follow if the low frequency/high loss scenario does occur. That is why I support the premise that a child should be exposed to risky situations, but those that can be managed. For example, the law(s of the game) requires me not to allow the wearing of tracksuit bottoms other than by a goalkeeper. If a child wants to wear tracksuit bottoms to play football, I have to ask why?
If it is to protect against injury, then that child should not be afforded any greater protection than other players, so I would not be happy to allow them, in isolation, to wear them. If it was for religious reasons, then the child should be allowed to wear them. If it was solely to keep the child warm, then I have to question are there other children also playing in that game who may be too cold to enjoy it? If yes, then we really all should be at home.
This leads on to whether we, in the northern hemisphere, play football at junior levels at the wrong time of the year. The top level of the women's game in England have just moved to a summer season. Maybe children should play then too?
Continue reading...
