If there is a unifying sense among GAA referees, it might not even be alarm at the spate of recent attacks on them or the level of bad behaviour that is a constant challenge to their officiating. It is as likely to be the implicit dismissal of their status as part of the community of the games.
Whereas there is a welcome for the GAA’s attempts to encourage recognition as with this weekend’s “Respect the Referee” days, most match officials would simply prefer to be acknowledged without fuss.
The often repeated truism that there can be no games without referees is in a way negative, depicting them as a necessary evil rather than just an integral part of the association’s activities.
“We’re human and we have families,” says this year’s All-Ireland football referee, Seán Hurson from Tyrone.
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“People forget that and see the man in the black jersey as someone who has nothing to do with the association. So it’s about ‘we all belong’ and that’s what our perspective is. We want everyone to reset and evaluate what the role of the referee is within the association.”
Equally, his hurling counterpart Colm Lyons, who took charge of Limerick’s win over Kilkenny in July, emphasises the same consideration – or lack of it.
“I have family members who will pick up a paper; it does impact in terms of the overall . . . I think there’s a duty of care to everybody in society to look out for everybody else. The mantra here is ‘the GAA, where we all belong’. Referees have to be central to that and I would like to see an improvement in the support structures so there’s a better respect for referees.”
Hurson identified two environmental factors: the targeting of the referee as part of the game plan and also, a straightforward ignorance of the rules.
“The culture is there: how can we get better at beating the opposition? Sometimes they reflect on weaknesses or perceived weaknesses of the referee and unfortunately that’s what’s happening with our coaches.
“They’re focusing on the referee’s performance rather than on their own players and I would see from reading articles that lack of knowledge of the rules is there, which is why coaches don’t always understand why decisions are made.
“They may not know the rules and that lack of education among supporters, players and coaches is probably a problem that goes to the heart of some of the abuse our referees are getting at the minute.”
For Lyons, this tendency to factor in referees when drawing up tactics and to blame them when things go wrong is a problem close to home.
There has been for a while a suggestion that Cork referees have been too zealous when taking charge of local championship matches and, by so doing, leave the county’s hurlers too cosseted when exposed to the laissez-faire standards of intercounty refereeing.
He gives this – admittedly preposterous – suggestion that local referees are in effect too conscientious, short shrift.
“Our role as referees is to conduct the games in a safe and enjoyable manner. We have the principles of fair play, which we are duty-bound to implement. I think it’s a lazy narrative.
“If you’re looking for reasons why Cork haven’t been successful [and] if you’re looking at the referees you’re looking in the wrong place. We facilitate great games. The championship last year in Cork was absolutely outstanding.”
Nearly all referees will talk about their frustration with the GAA’s disciplinary processes, which can overturn their on-field decisions, at times for no valid reason.
At the launch of ‘Respect the Referee’ last week, GAA president Larry McCarthy acknowledged the disrespect shown when “punishments [are] reduced or even dismissed on the most minute or infinitesimal technicality”.
Hurson says that whereas a referee doesn’t mind a decision being overturned if there has been an error of fact or interpretation, such situations cannot explain the frequency of the occurrence.
“What happens in incidents, especially at club level, is where a referee may issue a red card and within three days there’s a challenge in and the referee probably isn’t contacted again about clarification and then Sunday week, that guy who was sent off for what we deem a red-card infraction is playing.
“Sometimes we are told, ‘fill out your report and that’s your job done’ but it doesn’t always turn out the way it should.
Referees do get it wrong but there are times when referees are getting it right and still cards are being overturned. That’s disappointing
“We are going out to implement the rules that are there and when we issue a red card for an infraction, as referees we are making that decision live. We don’t have the option of replays.
“Referees do get it wrong but there are times when referees are getting it right and still cards are being overturned. That’s disappointing.”
Lyons however feels that the administrative side of the job is improving and cites data from his own county even if there is a 30 per cent success rate when decisions are challenged and about 15 per cent of red cards are.
“If you don’t measure it you can’t implement change. In Cork at the moment, since March to September in the Cork county board, which looks after games from U19 to senior level, there were 135 red cards. There were 20 appeals.
“Of the 20 appeals, six have been successful. So most of the time, referees are getting their job right. Then in terms of those six appeals, we’re not privy to how the appeal goes and to be honest, referees don’t really care.
“Our job is to ref it on the day, do our report, if somebody asks for clarification we give it, we do it with integrity and respect. It’s up for the hearings committee then to decide whether they back the player or they back the referee. And the majority of times it’s the referee that’s coming out.”
When it comes to physical abuse of referees, Hurson says that he hasn’t been subjected to it but that verbal abuse is commonplace and arises “every two or three matches”.
“I’ve had verbal abuse. Foul language. I’m fortunate that I haven’t been physically abused but that’s not to say that it isn’t prevalent in every county.”
He backs the Roscommon referees, who went on strike for a weekend after an attack on one of their peers in a high-profile incident last September, saying that it raised consciousness among clubs and members.
The team mentor found to have committed the infraction received a 96-week suspension but there have been calls to remove the limits on such suspensions. Lyons implicitly supports the idea.
“A maximum suspension of 96 weeks for someone who physically assaults a referee! Jeepers, fellas get imprisoned when there’s a physical assault.”
