‘I was always made fun of for being fat’: first-hand accounts of bullying in children’s football

ABSTRACT

Objetives

To explore perceptions of bullying in children’s football (8-13 years) based on the experiences of players, families, and coaches.

Method

We conducted a multiple case study. Participants from four football clubs and one coaching academy in Catalonia (Spain) were selected to take part in nine focus group sessions (three for each group: players, families and coaches). Data from the sessions were analyzed by content analysis.

Findings

Four main categories were identified: (1) type of bullying, (2) causes, (3) sites of occurrence, and (4) feelings and emotions towards bullying. These have included a series of direct quotes to reflect the main contributions made by the three sets of participants (players, parents, and coaches) based on their most significant experiences.

Conclusions

The accounts of the participants show the existence of a wide range of bullying situations and experiences and highlight the need for immediate action towards the prevention and eradication of bullying in children’s football.

KEYWORDS:

• Bullying
• children’s football
• qualitative
• football violence
• focus groups

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the players, coaches, families, and their respective clubs, for participating in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Fundació Barça [grant number PARINEFC 0003-2019].