By Daniel Radford, US Youth Soccer Senior Manager of Referees
There’s only one way that referees avoid making mistakes – they officiate fewer games or quit.
The latter is becoming more common with a decline in referee participation at nearly every level of the sport throughout the world. A major factor of washout and decrease in participation: The poor treatment referees receive and the negative experience that causes. Even at the very top – professional and international soccer – VAR is needed; so why do we demand perfection from our newest and least experienced referees?
There is a daunting cycle present in our game: There aren’t enough officials to oversee games, and the ones willing to are overworked – resulting in more mistakes.
How can we reverse that trend? One easy solution: Treat and develop referees the same way we do players – especially new ones. There should be no difference in treatment between new players and new referees when either join the sport, even though there is typically an age gap associated with the two. It would be a much different landscape if we were able to mirror the effort and commitment to officials that we give to growing our players.
Would anyone yell, berate, or criticize a pre-teen player in a small-sided, non-competitive game during their first years on the field? Hopefully, the answer is no. If so, why should the answer change when talking about new and young referees in the same situation?
Somehow, it has become acceptable for coaches, parents, and other spectators to belittle and disparage referees of all ages – even pre-teens. When an official quits within their first three years of refereeing any sport, historical retention data shows that they never return. This is a trend that needs reversing.
Here are a handful of considerations toward impactful change:
- Within the current landscape, coaches have the highest number of touchpoints. It’s encouraging for them to passively set the right example, but we need them to actively set a tone directly to players, parents, and spectators. We need the coaches to intervene when a situation presents itself during a match before the referees are forced to interrupt the kids’ fun – playing the game – to take punitive action.
- Our sport would be in a much better place if there was more recognition of the value and ability to engage in education regarding the laws of the game. Non-referee parties can and should choose to become more well-rounded participants to help grow the game by way of learning the rules. This would alleviate common misunderstandings and friction about what players and sidelines see referees doing or not doing that leads to conflict at the field.
- All stakeholders – including referees – have a responsibility. It includes setting the best example for the kids. We are all part of creating an environment where the kids can feel safe and included. Respect for the game – from the top down – is crucial to advancing the sport. If we lose sight of this, we hurt the kids.
- In today’s landscape, club, league, and competition administrators must deal with poor behavior swiftly and decisively. There is no reason to continue soft discipline policies that have proven ineffective. Being part of youth sport is both a privilege and a responsibility. Creating a safe and healthy playing environment where kids can play, as well as learn and grow in both life and soccer, is all far more important than referee calls or winning and losing.
- In any other profession, would the hostility that referees are accustomed to be acceptable? Would the vitriol they are faced with have any place in an office environment, a school, or your own home? No – and it’s never too late to change our sport for the better.
How each of us handles moments of adversity are defining moments and characteristics of our lives. We are often reminded of these adversities we face when involved in sport – from poor officiating to missed calls and everything else in between. It is critical to not lose sight of the fact that ill behavior toward anyone, much less officials, will not make them better; nor will it change calls, nor show the next generations the right way to act.