Tyrant of the under 10s: Football coach fired after he tells boys they're not playing for fun

Justin Byrne coached Chalfont St Peter's Football Club, Buckinghamshire

He sent parents an email saying that he was 'only interested in winning'

Mr Byrne told parents 'life will be competitive, so get them used to it'



Football coach Justin Byrne has upset some parents but say he 'only interested in winning'

When the village boys’ team appointed a new manager, they were not expecting a boss with the fervour of a Jose Mourinho or a Sir Alex Ferguson.

So parents of the under-10s side were aghast when coach Justin Byrne outlined his win-at-all-costs philosophy.

Mr Byrne insisted he was not there so the boys could have fun playing football – he was ‘only interested in winning’.

He said parents who complained when their boy did not make the first team were ‘not doing their sons any favours’.



Those who opposed him were ‘weak-minded’ and ‘think sport is about knitting’.

The volunteer coach outlined his forthright views in an email to parents at Chalfont St Peter’s Football Club in Buckinghamshire.



Four days later, despite his team’s success on the pitch, he suffered a fate familiar to many a Premier League boss... he was fired.



In his email, the 42-year-old company director, who had coached the under 10s for more than two years, told parents: ‘I am only interested in winning. I don’t care about equal play time or any other communist view of sport.



'Those that are not as good need to work harder or demonstrate more during training, or change sports.’

Father-of three Mr Byrne, who runs London-based recruitment firm Certus Sales, added: ‘You are not doing your son any favours by suggesting the world is fair or non-competitive.



'Everything they are likely to do in life will be competitive so my view is get them used to it.’

However, Australian-born Mr Byrne, who lives in a £1.2million seven-bedroom house in Gerrards Cross, admitted that his son would be picked for the under-10s’ more successful A team whether or not he was good enough.



Frank: Mr Byrne's philosophy was 'win at all costs' despite him managing an under 10s team (file picture)

He said: ‘The only reason I am coaching is for him to be able to play.’

Mr Byrne claimed the club’s rules prevented him from moving players freely between the more successful A team – which lost only twice last season – and the less successful B team.

He is considering taking legal action against the club, but said yesterday of his email: ‘I didn’t say it in the most PC of ways.



'I call a spade a spade and everyone knows I don’t like to dress things up.

‘That’s just me. The fact is that we have got a weaker-minded group of individuals who think sport is about knitting.’

He claimed that many parents were told about the sacking before he was, and that the club had not given him the right of reply or opportunity to defend himself before making its decision.

He says he was told to stay away from matches but refused, adding: ‘A lot of parents have contacted me to express their support.’

A club spokesman said Mr Byrne had been sacked after complaints from parents about his email, which went against the club’s ethos.

‘This is a friendly village football club that just wants to get as many children playing football as possible, and make sure they have fun doing it,’ he said.

