- Alleged incident happened during children’s sporting event
- Has raised questions about why coach was not protected
A female coach of a children’s football side has been left with a traumatic brain injury after she was allegedly attacked by a male parent from the opposing side.
The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, opened up about the shocking toll of the incident and questioned why more wasn’t being done to protect volunteers involved in kids’ sport.
The alleged attack occurred during a social football festival hosted by Auckland United at Keith Hay Park in Mt Roskill on September 29.
The 39-year-old coach, who has 18 years of experience, was on her way to the bathroom after coaching the ninth-grade Ellerslie AFC side to victory against Papakura City FC in a semi-final.
The coach alleges that she was struck in the head from behind with an umbrella, knocking her unconscious.
Since the attack, she has suffered post-concussive symptoms along with constant tics after sustaining a brain injury.
The coach also revealed that she had identified her alleged assailant before the incident and had asked for action to be taken after receiving abuse because she had called for a free kick.
‘We just played on and then I heard “shut up” from the sideline by the goalie and I was like, “What, is he talking to me? That’s weird”,’ the coach told the New Zealand Herald.
The alleged incident happened during a kids’ football event hosted by Auckland United FC (home ground, pictured)
‘I keep playing and then my parents are like, “He’s looking at you, he’s threatening you”.
‘I go to the Papakura coach and say, “Excuse me, one of your parents is threatening me”.’
That failed to defuse the situation and the coach said her alleged assailant tried to approach her at fulltime.
‘Another parent had to manhandle [the man] as he walked past our substitute bench and he was just threatening. I turned around because again, I was just so confused,’ she said.
The coach waited 30 minutes to leave the team tent and went to the bathroom with one of the parents and their five-year-old daughter as escorts, given the earlier angst.
She then heard a man and woman approaching from behind and hurling abuse at her.
‘He walked right up to me and he was swinging the umbrella and goes, “I’m gonna wrap this f***ing umbrella around your neck”,’ the coach said.
‘He told his female partner to hold his bag while he was going to f*** me up [and] she laughed.
‘Then he swung it like a baseball bat and hit me on my head. I must have fallen back and spun and then blacked out.
‘Then all I heard was the mum screaming and the five-year-old just freaked out and bolted back to where our team tent was.
‘I think by then police have been called, an ambulance had been called – and I was just lying there coming to, then I just went into shock.’
A spokesperson for Papakura City FC said the person involved had not been identified to the club.
‘Our team did reach out to [the] Ellerslie admin group after first hearing of the incident with our thoughts on wellbeing,’ they said.
The coach has been suffering post-concussion symptoms and says she is unable to stand for more than one hour a day (stock image)
Questions have been asked how the alleged attack was allowed to take place at a crowded junior sporting event (stock image)
The coach has been unwell since the alleged attack and left unable to work or care for her children because she struggles to stand up for extended periods.
‘I have about a good hour in me each day then I go downhill. It’s a lot on my family.,’ she said.
An Ellerslie AFC spokesperson said the club was offering continued support.
But the coach said she had not heard from Auckland United, had hosted the event.
‘I feel disappointed I haven’t heard from Auckland United. Not that I want them to call me and say: “Are you all right?” I don’t care about me, but instead maybe: “How are your girls? Are they all right with this situation?”‘ the coach asked.
