Body cams for referees

Re: Physical abuse, extreme verbal assaults: Ontario turns to body cameras to help save youth soccer referees, May 26

I have been a soccer match official (referee) for over 30 years.

In addition, I am an Ontario referee instructor, a referee mentor, and have been head referee for a large soccer club and now a small one. I love what I do in the game.

I have been “almost” assaulted several times, and always by adult males who believe they should be playing for a professional club. I have been verbally abused by coaches and parents. These incidents are always carried out by a very small percentage of people and the major reason is soccer clubs do not take the time to:

1) help referees, particularly youth referees, understand and use their authority on the field;

2) Inform coaches what their responsibilities are to their players, their parents and to match officials;

3) Inform parents, coaches and players of the consequences of verbally or physically abusing anyone on the field, which includes not only throwing a parent out of a game, but suspending their child from one or more future games.

Clubs must help young officials, particularly at their first few games, with mentors who can help referees learn but also protect them from abuse.

Boards of directors of sports clubs are primarily rep coaches so they understand what happens and what needs to be done. Coaches and parents must also be prepared to tell others who abuse referees and other players that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

The parents of a 10-year-old player, in any sport, must know their child will not become a multi-millionaire professional, so there is absolutely no reason to act like a moron at a kid’s sporting event.

There will always be stupid parents but a body cam would not be necessary if clubs, coaches and other parents dealt with those people quickly and effectively and protected and trained officials properly.

I live for the day when the only sound I hear from the coaches’ and parents’ sides of the field is cheering.

Jack Hughes, Head Referee Pelham Soccer Club