The WA football commission (WAFC) has handed down an unprecedented nine life time bans to parents involved in a brawl during a Kelmscott and Lakes junior football game at Nicholson oval in Yangebup in August.
During the brawl a 13-year-old was knocked unconscious and following a police investigation two South Lake men aged 48 and 36 and a Gosnells man, 43, were charged with being disorderly in a public place.
Following an eight-week investigation the WAFC handed out nine lifetime bans from the game, five one-year bans as well as citations against coaching staff and club fines.
WAFC general manager game development Warren Nel said he was unapologetic about the length of the investigation or severity of the sanctions.
“We make no apologies for the length of it and we just wanted to make sure it was right and the stakeholders were looking for that so we made sure they got that,” he said.
“We’ve apportioned the blame to the adults that didn’t act like adults on the match day, it’s as simple as that.
“I think it’s a maturing of our community to say we’re not going to tolerate this in kid’s sport. We make no apologies for the strength of us applying these penalties.”
Mr Nel said they were unable to ascertain how the 13-year-old girl was knocked unconscious but believed one of the nine adults given a life ban was likely to be the perpetrator.
He hoped the message received from the sanctions would be that this behaviour was not tolerated.
“I think that first and foremost I hope it gives parents, players, umpires and volunteers across footy some confidence that we as a state are not going to tolerate or stand for this type of rubbish,” he said.
Both Kelmscott and Lakes junior football clubs declined to comment.
The 48-year-old South Lake man has an appearance in the Fremantle magistrates court on April 7 next year while the 36-year-old has an appearance on April 11. The 43-year-old man from Gosnells appeared in the Fremantle magistrates court on October 23.
A Lakes junior football club coach was also involved in an incident against Armadale junior football club just weeks before the Kelmscott game.
The junior competition committee identified an incident through normal game review processes and the coach received a citation.
