A Dubbo junior soccer coach has quit the sport in the hope that his two boys will be free to play the game without hearing their father being ridiculed from the sideline.
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Unfortunately for Brendan Chapman he did the wrong thing a few years ago, in fact it was so bad that he almost went to jail.
During the 1997 Dubbo senior soccer grand final between his side, Orana Spurs and South Dubbo Wanderers, he lost his cool and assaulted the referee.
Because it was such a high profile game at the time, all the media outlets were there and as a result footage, photographs and stories of the incident were transmitted around the world.
Dubbo soccer threw the book at Chapman for his indiscretion and he was banned for life as a player, deemed never to play the game at any level anywhere.
There was also a civil matter that came out of the incident and Chapman was sentenced to three months in jail but on appeal was given 100 hours of community service and he was about $3000 out of pocket in legal fees.
Before the 2003 Dubbo junior season started Chapman made application to the local association for permission to coach an under-10 side that his eldest son played in.
Then last year he coached the Wellington side in its first year of Dubbo Women's Cup football.
According to Chapman the okay was given under strict conditions.
Unfortunately for Chapman, now aged 34, the stigma attached to his indiscretion has never gone away and a couple of individuals particularly, are making it difficult for his boys, now aged 10 and 12.
"I think it's time for people to back off and let my kids get on and play they game they live for each week," Chapman said.
"I know I did the wrong thing back in 1997 and I have never played the game since.
"However the soccer association gave me permission to coach a team again on condition that I didn't enter the field of play but could organise the boys before the game, at half-time and afterwards. I also wasn't able to sit in the coach's box during the game.
"The parents of kids in my team didn't have a problem with me being the coach and it was the same last season.
"Unfortunately there are a couple of people around who just can't shut up and don't understand that I was given permission to coach the kids.
"What they've been saying has been putting pressure on my kids and others in the teams.
"The kids hear the stuff from the field and they've said to me more than once 'Dad, why don't we just go and play rugby league?' but that shouldn't have to be the case.
"I just don't want any more issues with the game, all I want is for my kids to go out and enjoy a game they want to play and that they do very well at both club and representative levels."
