Give the poor young referees a break
‘The abuse that the kids have to take is not right,’ says president of officiating association
One of the best ways to learn the rules of soccer is through officiating.
“The more you actually do within the game as a referee the more you’ll learn,” said Marc Bowley, Vancouver Area Soccer Referees Association (VASRA) president.
And soccer players can pick up the job as early as 12 years old.
“It makes them better players because now they have an understanding of the laws of the game,” Bowley said.
But there’s one major downfall that comes with it — for both youth and adult referees: the abuse.
“And I’m talking not just physical — the verbal abuse that the referees have to take is unacceptable,” said Bowley. “(Parents) are constantly yelling at referees.”
It’s especially hard on youth officials.
“The abuse that the kids have to take is not right,” Bowley said. “It’s a bit of a shock.”
Last year, a 14-year-old boy was physically assaulted by a flag runner at a Marpole match — it was the young man’s first game officiating.
“The thing that doesn’t register with the people who do that, is that no matter what you do, (if ) you lay your hand on an official — especially when it’s young versus old — you’re in trouble. It’s assault right away,” Bowley said.
According to Bowley, the incident was filed to B.C. Soccer and when it goes through their appeal process, the perpetrator could wind up banned from the field.
Fortunately the boy was welltrained, handled the situation appropriately and is still officiating today.
In 2012, B.C. Soccer dealt with nearly 25 assaults — which range from minor to extreme verbal and physical assaults against both youth and adult referees.
“It’s not just negative for a referee, but I think it’s negative for the game,” said B.C. Soccer executive director Paul Mullen.
Not all assaults are reported to B.C. Soccer — some are dealt with by the local club.
While all referees are trained how to deal with it, it can be doubly hard at the youth level.
“They are responsible and they are respectful of adults,” said Bowley. “It’s a terrible thing to have to say to an adult, ‘Would you please stop.’”
“We have to stop and remind ourselves that they are 12, 13 years old.
“I always tell them if you’re going to confront somebody about something, always say ‘please, thank you,’ don’t shout and scream — keep your voice normal.”
They’re also told to walk away from confrontation and, if need be, abandon the game.
But the pros of officiating still “hugely outweigh the cons” said Mullen — and Bowley agrees.
“A lot of the things that they learn while they’re becoming referees it helps them later on in life,” said Bowley. “They will learn discipline, they will learn fair play and of course they are going to learn how to react with other people.”
But VASRA and B.C. Soccer will continue to better educate players, coaches and parents on how to respect referees.
“It doesn’t matter what age he is — whether he’s 14 or whether he’s 50,” said Mullen. “If the referee wasn’t there, then there wouldn’t be a game.”
Bystanders also need to keep in mind referees must go through an “intensive course.”
“Let the referees do their job because they are trained and probably know more about it than you do,” said Bowley. “Even though they are young, that’s what they sat in a classroom for.”
And if the abuse continues, B.C. Soccer will continue to work with clubs to support those referees, Mullen said.
“So that we don’t lose them, we don’t put them off.”