Incentive scheme will help bring back refs

I haven't seen the latest figures, but earlier in the season, referees registering with Berks and Bucks FA were over 230 down on the same time last year.

There are many reasons for referees giving up, and the truth is that there is a shortage of referees at grass roots football. As I mentioned previously, one of the objectives of the FA Refereeing Department is to retain current referees. They now award certificates to referees who officiate at least 20 games a year, and I was surprised to be presented with one recently for last season. 

There is also the new FA Referee's Incentive Scheme
which is a bit bit like Green Shield Stamps. Referees are awarded points on a sliding scale for matches - for taking charge of up to 20 matches a referee gets 10 points a match, but between 20 and 40 it goes up to 20 points.
Referees also receive points when registering, which doubles every subsequent season that they re-register. These points can be used to purchase selected items from either the Referees Association Catalogue or the FA England Direct Catalogue.

I applaud all efforts to keep referees in the game, but it is
generally accepted that the major cause of referee loss is the behaviour of clubs, their officials and their players. 

The Reading League is comparatively well off with 279 games played so far this season only four have been
without a referee. Nevertheless, they are poised to repeat their 'endangered species' poster campaign, warning clubs of the consequences of  not treating referees properly.

David Downs, the Reading FC historian and part of the
Academy set-up at Reading, has sent me details of an even more active attempt to change the attitude of clubs to referees.

At a Child Protection conference he met Bill Lamin of the
West Cornwall Sunday League, who voiced a concern about the behaviour of clubs to referees. Lamin, who believes that a referee has as much right to enjoy his football as has any player, says it is quite clear that it does no good just asking players and clubs to change.

He has devised an initiative that has been adopted by the
West Cornwall League, which he hopes will give clubs and players a strong incentive to improve their behaviour. If clubs want to have a referee appointed to cover their home matches, they have to sign an undertaking which gives them 'P' for priority status.

They agree to three points:

• TO give a referee a courteous and genuine welcome;
• TO brief their players before each game, stressing the referee's .right to enjoy the game, that they should not question decisions and any form of abuse to the referee is unacceptable;
• IRRESPECTIVE of his performance, the referee must be thanked and bid a courteous farewell after the game.

To retain their 'Priority' status, the club has to meet this undertaking at every match. All referees in the scheme
complete a form after each match, commenting whether the clubs have met the standards and marking them for sporting play. If the referee is not completely satisfied, the club is fined £5 and warned that a second offence will result in the withdrawal of their 'P' status.

This would mean that when referees are appointed they go to the bottom of the list, so they could be without referees. Of course individual players might still misbehave, so the league will not penalise clubs
providing they have carried out their part of the contract.
The message is the same as the Reading League's 'abuse them and you'll lose them' campaign, but with more teeth. 

If this makes the game more enjoyable for Cornish referees, no doubt they will referee longer and earn themselves some more incentive points from the FA.


Dick Sawdon Smith

 

© R Sawdon Smith 2002

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