Mind your language
Watch any football match on TV these days and you may well wince at the example set by the stars of the modern game. The abuse players and managers level at each other and match officials is there for all to see.
It is so common it seems to have become accepted as part and parcel of the game.
Newark and Sherwood District Council believes the use of strong language in local leagues, by players and supporters, has reached such a point that it should threaten to stop guilty teams using its pitches.
People living near pitches have complained and the council is calling on clubs to do what they can to put a stop to it.
It is highly unlikely that bad language will be eradicated from the game entirely but clubs can do their bit before games by urging players and supporters to show any youngsters who might be watching how to behave.
If they can do that, they will set a far better example than many of their Premier League peers.
There have also been complaints about litter and other match-day debris being left behind.
But the footballers are not responsible for all the litter.
Plenty of other people use the playing fields and parks where the pitches are and the consequences of their actions often have to be cleared before games can start.
Broken glass and other rubbish, for example, meant two pitches at Lincoln Road, Newark, could not be used on Sunday.
Litter is not a football problem, it is a problem that blights society.
It is not just football that needs to clean up its act.