In some ways it feels like the summer never happened.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re back at school<\/a> a few weeks now. A tracksuit top, one raincoat, one calculator, a pair of runners, several lunch box lids, all the green crayons and an entire schoolbag have been lost over the course of those treacherous first few weeks in the primary<\/a>– and secondary<\/a>-school-year trenches.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all achingly familiar. A bit like the whoops of delight across the WhatsApp subgroups when training or matches are cancelled. Yes, all the parents<\/a> say, \u201cthanks coaches. See you next week,\u201d but in the subgroups the truth comes out.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re wondering what a Whatsapp subgroup is, it\u2019s a little group formed with members of the original group, where parents who drink margaritas and celebrate not having to stand in the freezing cold and rain on some sideline or other with limited nearby parking say what they really think about stuff.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not in one, don\u2019t worry; you\u2019re probably just some of the stuff they\u2019re talking about. <\/p>\n But anyway, back to the sidelines.<\/p>\n Back to school means back to the sidelines for many of us; trekking around the county or country, in most weathers, to cheer on your child in their chosen sport. Until, recently, it didn\u2019t. <\/p>\n Recently, the Dublin and District Schoolboys\u2019\/Girls\u2019 League announced a silent sidelines campaign to run once a month until the end of the year. Silent sidelines is much like it sounds. All the spectators standing on the sideline must support their child, and team, silently. There should be no shouting, no instruction, no calling out to players and no loud vocal observations. The purpose? \u201cTo try and stem the continued bad behaviour from those on the sidelines. It is having a detrimental effect on the players looking to play and enjoy their football.\u201d<\/p>\n