As outlined at the recent Clubs Forum, Match Officials, plus Players from opposing teams, will be asked to enter the field of play together before each match, from the vicinity of the Technical Area and subsequently line up briefly to shake hands with each other. This ritual is known as the FIFA Handshake and is a gesture to demonstrate a commitment to FAIR PLAY and RESPECT for others.
The World Body for Football, FIFA, actually mandated the FIFA Handshake for all International matches back in 2003, but we have typically only seen this occur in local football during grand finals. Football Far North Coast believes that this simple requirement, that was trialled successfully during the 2023 Tursa Employment & Training Summer Youth League, is a tangible sign for players, coaches and spectators, that despite the emotions that can be ignited during a football match, it remains a game to be played in accordance with FAIR PLAY and RESPECT and as prescribed within the Laws of the Game.
In practical terms, bringing players and match officials together before the start of a match, for the purpose of doing the coin toss and then walking onto the field of play together, demonstrates a collaborative unity for the game and provides an appropriate signal to everyone that a game of football is about to commence.
Everyone is asked to embrace this new initiative within competition fixtures (being ages 12 to senior) and spectators are encouraged to applaud players and match officials as they take to the field, in every competition match in season 2024.
