Efforts to crack-down on sideline abuse are proving successful in Northland.
Local rugby officials have introduced a new code of conduct and some junior sporting codes are not keeping score to make players - and rowdy sideline supporters - focus on enjoyment rather than winning at all costs.
Northland Rugby Union (NRU) chief executive officer Jeremy Parkinson said sideline abuse had reduced during the past three years.
Host and visiting clubs were charged with taking responsibility for their sideline supporters.
"We've seen a huge reduction in red cards this year ... and a lot of those were incited by people rarking up their players [from] the sideline."
No instances of abuse against referees had been recorded this season and the number of red cards issued was also significantly down, Mr Parkinson said.
His comments follow All Blacks legend Sir Colin Meads saying all children must play sport to win.
"All young people must play a sport and they must play it to win," Meads told the New Zealand Herald.
"I'm against the education system saying you participate and don't have to play to win. It teaches you to be a good loser if you don't win but you must always play to win."
Mr Parkinson said he did not support Meads' comments.
"We're all about participation and enjoyment and having fun.
"Personally, I coach my seven-year-old's team and five minutes after the game is over they don't really give a rat's [who won]."
A proposal for all players up to under-15 level to have a minimum of 40 minutes' game time every Saturday was being considered for next year's season, he said.
"That means you can't stack your team and kids sit on the bench and not get a game."
Most children played to win, but it was up to individual coaches how much emphasis they placed on winning, Mr Parkinson said.
Sport New Zealand spokesman Greg Palmer said kids should be enjoying sport first and foremost - using it as an avenue to have fun, make friends and learn the values of teamwork.
Attitudes surrounding sport for both parents and children would always range, and there were avenues for competitive children to nurture their aggressive streak, Mr Palmer said.
"Even those that are of a competitive nature - there's still the element of 'sport is there for fun and enjoyment' - as long as those two go hand-in-hand."
Some junior sporting codes had been trialling a system of not keeping score, to ensure both players and parents on the sideline focused no so much on winning, but on the enjoyment factor, Mr Palmer said.
NRU operations manager Greg Shipton said a new code of ethics had been introduced this year, which all Northland clubs had signed.
The code also stated if a referee was verbally or physically abused, the NRU would automatically withdraw referee services for all teams of the offending club.
It would then be the club's responsibility to meet with the NRU to satisfy them, and the Northland Rugby Referees Association, that the issues had been resolved.
Competition points would also be allocated to the opposition until referee services were reinstated.
NRU referee administrator Alanna Clare said referees had always been trained to deal with abuse, but as it had become "more and more of an issue" it had become more apparent referees needed to know how to deal with such situations.
"Once that [abuse] happens, that's when a lot of them lose their confidence - especially those in their first year of refereeing."