The new model of toxic parents: hooligan parents 2026

A few days ago we witnessed on social networks and media, local and national, an embarrassing situation in the middle of a children's soccer game. The shocking thing is that the protagonists were not the minors who were playing but two of the parents who witnessed the game. Two parents who, driven by their extreme competitiveness and aggressiveness, staged the following confrontation:

Insults to the referee, angry reproaches to the children of the rival team and even those of their own, disrespect to the coaches, technical instructions to players and the most serious thing, fights between parents. Pitched battles, like some recently seen in the media, in which police presence is required. These situations are unfortunately repeated quite frequently in the youth soccer fields of our country.

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Grassroots football, also called youth or training football, is the name of football that is played among young people before reaching senior level. Here, it is where young footballers receive their first technical and tactical lessons and are trained in this sport in all areas.

The phenomenon of the “hooligan father” appears when a series of circumstances occur in the sports and family environment of the young soccer player, which we detail below:

On the one hand, and the most worrying, is the one that is born in the family environment, where parents often project onto their children both their expectations of success and their sporting frustrations. This type of behavior is not usually conscious but is devastating for the child, as it transfers excess pressure to the little player that can trigger demotivation and manages to distance him from his only purpose, which is none other than having fun practicing his favorite sport.

The place that the parents of young soccer players must occupy is the demotivator, companion and above all facilitator, overprotection or overinvolvement only increases the pressure on the young player.

On the other hand, we find the laxity and permissiveness of the clubs. The conception of the players and their parents as clients gives them in some cases a status of total impunity. The payment of fees, the kit business and registration fees are the main, if not the only, source of income for the most modest football clubs. This shielding is even more notable when, in addition, parents who do not behave appropriately have a child who stands out. In these cases the club is even more permissive.

From my experience as a youth football coach, where my objective is none other than to guide children and help them develop a series of values ​​linked to sport (respect, teamwork, having goals, carrying them out...), which are also a fantastic foundation for life. We regularly have to deal with unedifying behavior from our own parents, grandparents, rival coaches, etc. that do not help at all to the correct training of young athletes.

In some clubs, you are beginning to see posters with rules of behavior and recommendations to enjoy the sports day in a healthy way. We hope and wish that they will spread and, above all, that they will be applied on a massive scale.

Below we share a decalogue for parents that we consider quite complete and would help put an end to this problem, which is beginning to become a worrying issue.

The child should only perform in school, in soccer he should only have fun.

1. The only question you should ask your son or daughter after the game is if they had fun.
2. Treat other kids with respect, whether they're on your child's team or not. They are all companions.
3. Respect the referee's decisions. They are usually young people starting their careers and trying to do the best they can.
4. Do not give orders to the child from the stands. You already have a coach who has been trained as such and is qualified to transmit his knowledge to you.
5. He encourages like anyone else, but always in a positive way. Never cheer up your opponent's mistakes.
6. Do not smoke or drink alcohol while watching your children's game. Help create a healthy sports environment.
7. Promote your child's autonomy. Taking charge of preparing your sports bag and emptying it as well as taking responsibility for your personal hygiene is more important than scoring goals.
8. Collaborate with the club by reporting behaviors or situations that may set a bad example for the children.
9. Always keep in mind that you are the mirror in which your child sees himself.
10. Enjoy that moment as a father and give the spotlight to the little soccer player.

In the article, we refer to grassroots football, but we can transfer these situations to other children's sports that are carried out in groups.

Jorge García Álvarezes is a sports technician and expert in business and sports coaching. He also runs a children's soccer sports training school, The Supportes Soccer Academy, an occupation that he has combined with grassroots soccer training for more than 4 years. He is also a former player and father of two youth soccer players.

Alexandra Gastón de Iriarte is a journalist and has a master's degree in comprehensive communication. He has developed his professional activity in different media (specialized press, television) and has been working in the area of ​​corporate communication for 10 years.