Not New: Parents at youth soccer games make imbeciles of themselves berating referees. New: Moving said parents behind barricades

I'm sure it's no surprise that more often than not, the worst behaved participants in any youth sport are the parents.

It is a sad fact that has been around since I played as a young lad and now that my kids are old enough to play, I'm disheartened to report that the behaviour appears to still be going strong.

Apparently Northumberland Football Association is not just fed up with the phenomenon, they've decided to try something new - parents behind barricades!

Ok, so they aren't putting parents behind chicken wire fences just yet - but by putting some distance between the parents and the pitch by marking off a "safe-zone" with a couple of stakes and some bright ribbon - early results of the Northumberland pilot program appear to be working.

Read the full article from the Daily Mail.