FIVE junior country footballers have been suspended and a coach banned as part of a major crackdown on cyber bullying in community football.
They were punished for off-field Facebook intimidation and harassment under the Victorian Country Football League's landmark Cyber Safety Policy, the Herald Sun reports.
The slurs saw four Tatura under-16s players banned for almost 40 games and a coach deregistered over threats and intimidation towards a Notre Dame Football Club player on Facebook.
A Mooroopna under-16 player was rubbed out for eight games - four suspended - for cyber bullying a junior umpire.
Three of the Tatura players were banned for 10 matches, with four games suspended until the end of 2013.
One player was suspended for eight matches, with four games suspended until the end of 2013.
The coach was also suspended from playing in the senior side for four games.
In another case, a Healesville junior was sanctioned over vulgar comments posted online about another player's mother.
The VCFL introduced the policy - developed by cyber safety expert Susan McLean - to its 44 leagues this year.
It comes after two Somerville players were deregistered for posting inappropriate comments about a female league employee and two players from Colac and District League club Alvie sanctioned for posting inappropriate comments about an umpire on Facebook last year.
Ms McLean said Facebook had taken sledging in sport to a new level.
"I think in some ways they know they can't get away with it on the field so they have a go online and think they can do it there," Ms McLean said.
"If it's happening in one league it is happening everywhere."
She said the VCFL was the only football league in Australia to have a cyber bullying policy and praised the initiative.
"I think there is still a away to go with the education," she said.
"Now clubs have got to do a lot more to make sure players are aware."
VCFL training and education manger Dean Rice said the policy was developed after anecdotal evidence of online incidents.
"We thought we'd proactive. We just have to make sure we are on the front foot so our affiliates know how to try to deal with social media problems they have in the future," Mr Rice said.
"I think it's a general thing in society, cyber bullying. It is not a football issue or football problem."
Read more at the Herald Sun
