PARENTS have been issued with a set of guidelines to stop parents and coaches shouting from the touchline at children's football matches.

Hampshire Football Association has piloted a code of conduct which asks parents not to cheer during games but to give plenty of applause instead.

Coaches and spectators at youth matches last weekend took part in the trial called Silent Weekend.

Hampshire FA said the guidelines would help "create a positive and pressure-free environment in which children can enjoy football and learn to love and develop in the game".

The idea was essentially to stop parents shouting from the touchline which officials claim can intimidate children.

Recently Surrey Youth League Graham Ekins made headlines when he claimed that violence at children’s football games is so out of control that someone could be killed.

It followed a weekend of kids’ matches in Surrey that saw one parent threaten to stab a referee, another headbut a volunteer linesman and childplayers threatening to destroy a changing room,

And last week the manager of a youth football team in Leicester was in court accused of attacking a linesman during a match following a controversial offside decision.

The incident led to a huge brawl involving players and spectators which resulted in the match being stopped.

Hampshire FA's list of "do nots" for parents included not being allowed to communicate with coaches or players during the game and they were also told to remain behind the 'Respect' barriers.

Coaches were told not to comment on referee's decisions or wander up and down the touchline during the game.

A spokesman from Hampshire FA said: "The main purpose of the Silent Weekend was to provoke thought and discussion regarding the current match day environment in youth football.

"We also wanted to underline the importance of the FA’s Respect programme and how everyone involved in the game plays a significant role in implementing this."

The Silent Weekend, which was run on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6, was only a pilot and Hampshire FA says it has no intention of enforcing silence at all games across the county.

Sue Hough, chief executive of Dorset County FA said that at present the Dorset FA have no plans to take part in a Silent Weekend but said "any initiative that promotes good behaviour is a valuable one”.

She added: “For everybody such initiatives are based on promoting respect and each county association works hard to find ways to reinforce those messages.

“One of the things we do to promote respect is the FA Referee Partner Clubs Initiative.

“Our referees’ development officer goes into clubs to help educate clubs and produce their own officials. When you have a good referee, things tend to run smoother and that training helps those taking part to become registered officials in their own right."

Feedback from the weekend will be analysed and the findings will be published in a report.