In his most recent column, Owen Doyle took a moment to speak directly to amateur match officials.
“You do a terrific, invaluable job, which must be recognised and applauded,” he wrote, having discussed the abuse referees and their fellow officials face week in, week out at fixtures right around the country. Abuse at all age groups, from all genders, in all competitions.
While Doyle is a man of rugby, his words ring true for all our sports that rely on an ever-dwindling number of amateur officials to allow fixtures to go ahead.
In Gaelic games, Gordon Manning this week reported on Dublin GAA’s “chronic shortage” of referees, with efforts under way to attract more officials.
And Dublin is not alone in this difficulty. In his annual report published earlier this week, Munster Council chief executive Kieran Leddy noted the challenge of finding sufficient referees across the three Gaelic games associations is “as worrying as ever”.
[ Amateur rugby officials don’t give up their time to be insulted and abusedOpens in new window ]
[ ‘Chronic shortage’ of referees leaves Dublin GAA stretched to the limitOpens in new window ]
The level of abuse match officials receive, across all sports, age groups, and competitions, is undoubtedly one of the most significant sticking points hindering recruitment efforts, and attempts by the various sporting bodies to tackle the issue have thus far yielded little improvement.
To show the true extend of the issue, The Irish Times wants to hear from referees and match officials past and present across all sports about their experiences.
Why did you become a match official? Why did you decide to give it up? How were you treated by players, teams, fans? Did you ever fear for your safety? Have you any fond memories of officiating? Would you recommend others get involved? How do you think the issue of abuse towards referees could be handled?
Let us know your thoughts using the form below. A selection of the responses may be published in The Irish Times.
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