WaiBOP Football are supporting Positive Vibes Only in 2026.

The campaign is about creating better sideline environments for tamariki and rangatahi across our game. It encourages adults to think about the role they play on match day, and how their words, tone and behaviour can shape a young player’s experience.

Junior and youth football should be a place where players feel supported, safe to make mistakes, and free to enjoy the game. Positive support from the sideline helps build confidence, resilience and a stronger connection to football.

Positive Vibes Only asks coaches, managers, parents, whānau and supporters to keep the focus on encouragement, effort and enjoyment. That means cheering good play, respecting referees and opposition teams, and giving young players space to learn without pressure.

The campaign will be shared across WaiBOP Football events, junior festivals and social media throughout the season. Clubs are encouraged to use the campaign in their own environments and share the messages with their communities.

Together, we can help make football a more positive experience for everyone.

Key messages

Keep it positive.
Let the kids play.
Respect the referee.
Support effort, not just outcomes.
Encourage every player.
Make football a place where everyone belongs.

Positive Vibes Only is a Sport Waikato and Waikato Sport Collective campaign. 

#positivevibesonly

Positive Vibes

Clubs

We'd love clubs to support Positive Vibes Only by sharing the messages with their teams, whānau and supporters. Clubs can share WaiBOP Football’s posts on social media, create their own messages, or include Positive Vibes Only reminders in newsletters, team chats and match day communications.

We also encourage clubs to bring the campaign to life on match day. Ask teams, coaches, managers and supporters to wear pink, add pink accessories, decorate the sideline, or find another simple way to show support for positive sideline behaviour.

Keep the message visible, practical and consistent: support effort, respect referees, encourage every player, and help make junior and youth football a place where tamariki and rangatahi can enjoy the game.

What you can do

Parents, whānau, coaches, managers and supporters all have a role to play.

Bring positive energy to the sideline. Cheer effort, encourage players, respect referees and opposition teams, and let the kids play without added pressure.

Wear pink, share the message, and help create a match day environment where young players feel supported, safe to make mistakes, and able to enjoy football.

2023, 2024 & 2025 Weir Rose Bowl

The campaign was introduced successfully in at the Weir Rose Bowl Tournament, held in Cambridge in October 2023, where pink-clad ambassadors handed out stickers and other giveaways. Signage around the event reinforced the campaign, which was received positively and embraced by many teams over the weekend.

Responses from a post-tournament survey conducted by WaiBOP included:

“Positive vibes have helped us carry on when we lose and keep our heads up.”

“People’s behaviour on the sideline has been positive.”

“It was good to see all the reminders and it was a theme we pushed with our team, not only to reinforce fair play, but to keep them positive and motivated when the going got tough.”


​​​​​​​Positive Vibes Only returned to Weir Rose Bowl in 2024 and 2025 with signage around the grounds and sticker & temporary tattoo handouts. A Positive Vibes tent ran mini competitions and giveaways. Check out the video where we asked kids about what they wanted to hear from the sidelines while they were playing.​​​​​​​
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“One of our objectives is to bring attention to the role every parent plays in shaping the football experiences of their child and those around them every time they are in a football environment. We want the sports field to be a safe and positive place for our tamariki and rangatahi"

-WaiBOP Football CEO, Karyn Walters