There's no doubt youngsters in the local park copy their heroes on the pitch. We need to see a better example from top footballers to prevent a generation of kids turning into badly-behaved yobs.
''During the past couple of weeks I've seen kids launch themselves two-footed at each other and then joke about 'doing an Ashley Cole'''
As a youth worker, I spent loads of time playing sport with young people, in particular football, and the way the kids react to each other and to certain decisions you'd think you were in the heat of a Premier League match!
Often you end up replaying moments from the weekend’s games, but at the local park. There is diving and arguing, fervour and passion. And that's nothing compared to what goes on in the local under-14’s league, where parents egg on their future Premier League stars (and lucrative pension funds) to even higher levels of intensity.
It is not unusual to see the referee in these games surrounded by angry teenagers demanding justice and questioning his every decision. They are not deterred by the threat of a yellow card or a stern telling-off from their coach. The prevailing attitude seems to be if Wayne Rooney can do it, so can I.
The negative behaviour we see from many Premier League stars is replicated by thousands of kids up and down the country every week. Footballers must concede they are role models, in the same way anyone else in the media spotlight is, and therefore have a responsibility in the way they behave.
There is no doubt children and teenagers copy what they see on the television and bring it to their own games. Often this can be good. I grew up in the 90s and wanted to score goals like Robbie Fowler, or pass the ball like Gazza. Sadly the negative side of the modern game also crept in.
None of us really started diving or feigning injury until we saw it developing in the Premier League and all of a sudden everyone was doing it - in particular Jurgen Klinsmann’s early days at Spurs had a formative effect on our theatrics.
Playing football should be a positive, enjoyable experience for children and teenagers and mostly I think it is. However, we are also breeding a generation of future players - and people - with little respect for authority who think it is OK to cheat as long as you gain an advantage.
Sadly it's not just the diving and cheating that creeps into games at the park or in junior leagues. Horror tackles, the sort that seem all too abundant over the course of this last season, are also creeping in.
During the past couple of weeks I've seen kids launch themselves two-footed at each other and then joke about "doing an Ashley Cole". The trouble is, if they end up breaking someone’s leg, you can bet it won't be so funny. These are bad habits to be developing, even as a joke.
If you think this is just circumstantial, I would encourage you to look at the way rugby is played locally. There is none of the feigning injury or questioning the referee that you see in junior football. There is an atmosphere created that says those kinds of actions are just not acceptable. Top-level referees get respect and this filters down to the lower levels and influences how young people play.
We need to see this from footballers. Until the attitude changes at the top level, nothing will change at the grass roots. This week the PFA has been talking about an "exclusion zone" around match officials, and I think that is the best idea I've heard in ages.
Parents, however, are also to blame for this shocking lack of respect. They berate match officials when decisions go against their precious offspring. Don’t get me wrong, I think it's fantastic these parents are spending time with their kids, encouraging them to be healthy and have an interest other than the Playstation, but it doesn’t give them the right to encourage their children to behave like yobs.
It’s not all bad. Club community schemes do a fantastic amount of good. For children and teenagers to see their heroes encouraging them to do more exercise, work hard at school and eat healthily is excellent and can have a lasting impact. But, unless you live near a ground, you are unlikely to experience this first-hand. All the majority of kids know about players is how they behave on the pitch and what they say in post-match interviews.
Football should be fun for young people, helping to breed positive characteristics like teamwork, confidence and a good work ethic. But until we see a good example from those playing the game at the top levels, we will also continue to see the negative aspects of the game at youth levels.
Should footballers take their responsibility to the players of tomorrow more seriously? Comment below, or submit your own article to Sportingo.