Spectator behaviour
I can explain the positive and negative influences of spectators on sports events, performance and participation.
Spectator behaviour
I can explain the positive and negative influences of spectators on sports events, performance and participation.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Spectators can positively influence matches by creating an exciting atmosphere and providing a home-field advantage.
- Spectators can negatively impact matches by increasing pressure on performers.
- Negative influences of spectators include the potential for crowd trouble or hooliganism and safety concerns.
- The presence of spectators can negatively affect participation rates among younger performers.
- Safety measures and crowd management are important to mitigate the negative effects of spectator behaviour.
Keywords
Spectator - a person who watches a sports event and can influence the atmosphere
Home-field advantage - the benefit gained from playing in a familiar environment with local support
Amateur - this term defines someone who takes part in an activity as a hobby, rather than for financial gain
Hooliganism - disorderly, aggressive and often violent behaviour by spectators at sporting events
Common misconception
Believing that spectators always have a negative effect on performance and safety and the impact of spectators is only relevant in professional sport.
Spectators have positive contributions to sport like creating an atmosphere and providing home-field advantage which can not only affect professional sport, but also amateur and youth sport too.
To help you plan your year 11 physical education lesson on: Spectator behaviour, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 physical education lesson on: Spectator behaviour, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 physical education lessons from the Socio-cultural influences: ethics and behaviour unit, dive into the full secondary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions
shaking hands with an opponent after losing a tennis game
faking an injury as your opponent is about to serve
taking performance enhancing drugs to improve reaction to the ball
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a person who watches a sports event and can influence the atmosphere
the benefit gained from playing at a familiar environment
this term defines someone who takes part in an activity as a hobby
disorderly, aggressive and often violent behaviour by spectators
Creating a positive atmosphere will help the performer play well.
There is a risk of hooliganism with large crowds.
In a youth sport league, the younger players may feel intimidated.