Local football officials struggle to face abuse – The Daily Evergreen

Experiences of local officials reflect referee abuse on the rise nationwide

College-level official and Palouse’s local mentor Matthew Soule hosted the 2022 Idaho State Cup. Sur was the assistant referee for the match and was responsible for making calls along his sidelines. Schuur said he witnessed a goalkeeper punch another team’s attacker in a corner kick situation. Suhr was the last of the assistant referees. So he was the furthest out of play. Suhl flagged down the center and explained with absolute confidence that the goalkeeper needed to be sent off.

What followed was confusion.

“I stood my ground when the six rose to fight me,” said Suhr.

Team players and coaches flocked to Suhr, subjecting him to a downward spiral of abusive comments and behavior.

“This doesn’t pay well,” says Suhr.

The Washington State Refereeing Commission website states that referee abuse is “a verbal statement or physical act that does not result in physical contact.” Referee abuse includes verbal or non-verbal foul language and implied threats to officials. This website defines referee assault as “an intentional physical act of violence against a referee”. This includes physical contact between an attacker and an official.

Abuse and assault of civil servants has become so common across the country that many civil servants are resigning at an unprecedented rate. According to the National Association of Sports Officials, about 20% of footballers have been assaulted during a refereeing at least once, and about 73% of footballers have been assaulted at least once during a refereeing. He said he had to remove an audience member once.

Suhr interprets being outspoken in helping young officials qualify as ensuring they face some sort of confrontation. Suhr said it’s not right to lie about your experience.

“I once had a young referee tell me I was crying,” Suhr said. “We need to send out children with the tools to de-escalate adulthood.”

Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in incidents in the area. Melissa Autry is a local official in Palouse, and her two sons also serve as officials. As her mother, Melissa once served as an assistant referee and her son Aaron was at the center of the match, which according to Melissa was followed by a physical challenge between her two players over the ball. Her father lashed out at Aaron.

“One of the fathers yelled, ‘He’s my son!’ I yelled the exact same thing back at him,” Melissa said.

Leah Johnson, the referee assignment for club games around the Palouse, was abused as an assistant referee in a tournament game last summer. After the coach argued with Johnson over an offside call, the center came in and ordered the coach to stop him, Johnson said. started.

“Coaches and parents set a bad example for kids when they start criticizing referees,” Johnson said. “They teach them how to be mean and bullies. No one yells at a player expecting him to be 100% perfect.”

Tony Richardson, a placement officer at a major Spokane-area high school, sees fewer officials sign each year. I was. Of this group, half the class never set foot on the pitch, Richardson said. Half of the remaining classes only played one or two games before disappearing, and each class of 50 officers produced only 5 long-term officers.

But after the pandemic, clinics typically only have 15 staff licensed for each session, Richardson said.

“It’s getting harder and harder to get referees,” Richardson said.

For the upcoming High School Boys season, Richardson plans to implement a zero-tolerance policy for abuse. He said he does.

“I don’t want to hear a single negative word,” Richardson said. “If someone says something negative, I tell the crew to blow the whistle and end the match.”

To reduce tension during matches, Suhr recommends implementing psychological tricks to make referees behave more like humans.

“I use tactical empathy,” said Suhr. “They are less likely to be disrespectful to you if you present yourself as a human being.”

Having a friendly conversation with a coach before a game, admitting mistakes and being confident in yourself are great tools for reducing potentially abusive situations, Suhr said.

While Suhl’s tactics may help calm certain situations, Richardson believes referee abuse will continue unless something is done.

“We need referees, but the culture around being a spectator needs to change,” Richardson said.