The NSW Government, as part of the State budget, announced a junior sport rebate aimed at encouraging parents to get their kids moving and into physical activity from a young age.

It was a worthy initiative.

Yet it seems the scourge of junior sport has put it back in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons …. parents behaving badly.

You don’t have to travel to many junior sport contests to witness this syndrome first hand.

The ugly parent syndrome.

Video footage emerged of a brawl erupting at a junior football match at Oatley in a game between the Kogarah Cougars and Kingsgrove Colts.

A stoush between a group of parents at the under 7s game – yes, that’s right, under 7s -  all due to calls made by the referee.

While no charges have been laid, the St George Rugby Junior League has promised to crack down on parent behaviour.

Whichever way you look at it, the vision makes for disgraceful viewing.

On Monday it was revealed former North Melbourne AFL great Glenn Archer had been charged in relation to an alleged assault at a junior Australian Rules in Melbourne.

Archer disputes the allegations but admits to running onto the ground.

Archer has since admitted he should not have put himself in the position and apologised for his actions.

It is a crying shame that society has let it come to this, but unfortunately many sports have introduced codes of conduct for parent behaviour at their kids’ matches.

If you are a parent and you need a code of conduct to tell you how to behave at your kid’s sporting match one would have to question your qualifications as a parent in general.

To those parents, and you know who you are, who set a bad example at junior sport do us all a favour.

Sit down, politely shut up and let your child enjoy their chosen activity.

If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t be there.

American football great Paul Brown famously said “when you win say nothing, when you lose say less”.

It would be a good adage for all parents at junior sport to live by.