SPIRIT OF THE GAME
A Collective Responsibility Scoring Model

What is Spirit of the Game?

Spirit of the Game is about the conduct, respect and safety shown by everyone involved in a junior football match. It is not about the final score, winning margin, player ability or ladder percentage.

The aim is to encourage clubs, players, officials, umpires and spectators to take shared responsibility for the behaviour displayed on match day. A team can win the game on the scoreboard and still lose points if its behaviour damages the experience for others.

When rating Spirit of the Game, consider:

• Was the match played in a respectful and safe environment?


• Did the players show good sportsmanship toward opponents and umpires?


• Did coaches, officials and bench staff behave appropriately?


• Did spectators support the game without abusing players, officials or umpires?


• Did the team show respect to umpires and other match officials?


• Would you be comfortable with junior players experiencing that behaviour every week?

Spirit of the Game gives clubs and umpires a simple way to report and reward positive behaviour, while identifying ongoing conduct problems before they become accepted as normal.