Last month, a London borough announced it was banning parents from attending their children’s sporting events after incidents of bad behaviour. Here, a PE teacher and referee says many parents now have unrealistic expectations of their child’s potential, and have forgotten what sport should be all about. Interview by Chloe Hamilton .

I’ve been a secondary school PE teacher for nine years and a football referee – of both youth and adult games – for 15 years. Progressively, over the last 10 years, I’ve noticed parents becoming more competitive from the sidelines. And it’s having a negative effect on children’s experience of sport.

For decades, there have been pushy parents but it’s gotten worse, in part due to tech and social media. It’s now common for parents to promote the success o

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