On a weekend in May 2025, the Hurlstone Park Wanderers Football Club, in Sydney’s Inner West, ran their Silent Sidelines initiative for their U6-12 age groups.
Parents and spectators were encouraged to be completely silent, aside from supportive clapping.
The objectives of silent sidelines round
The club took a proactive approach in organising the round to create a positive and safe environment for children to learn, grow and develop without unnecessary sideline comments or interventions. The idea wasn’t in response to a specific incident, rather, the club were committed to building a supportive environment for all junior players.
The objectives were:
- Player development. Help players to learn to communicate on the field without unnecessary sideline instructions.
- Player enjoyment. Children are able to play without excess pressure to perform.
- Referee retention. Eliminating unhelpful criticism that degrades referee performance,
- Spectator enjoyment. No uncomfortable sideline behaviour!
Implementing the new approach
Behaviour change can be tricky to implement. To ensure buy in from key groups across the club, Hurlstone Park Wanderers Football Club used:
- Pre-comms to club members, the association and visiting clubs via email, socials and club communication platforms.
- Signage plastered all over the fields.
- Pre-game check-in with teams to ensure they were aware of Silent Sidelines.
- Game leaders walking around the fields offering lollipops to keep mouths occupied.
The results
Watch the video to hear from players, parents and coaches on the success of the Silent Sidelines round:
