Rising allegations of misconduct in grassroots football have prompted the FA to strengthen sanctions, introducing bodycams in some counties and offering referees more routes to take back control of the game.
Amid a referee crisis, where we see games being postponed because of no officials Lincolnshire FA is trying stronger measures to protect their referees. Lincolnshire is one of the counties trialling bodycams for referees hoping to see a decrease in reports of abuse.
Nationally there is an increase in referee abuse cases and a lack of officials to take charge of grassroots football matches, leading to parents and coaches having to officiate games. The emphasis is on County FAs to protect their officials with new measures, such as fines and bans, which according to James Moody, Lincolnshire League’s referee appointment officer, are more common than points deductions.
At the beginning of the 2024/25 season Lincolnshire FA announced clubs which are repeat offenders of poor discipline will receive a points deduction for their behaviour. However, James, who is also a level four referee, says he has not seen any points deductions, and it tends to be fines or bans which are received. For individuals and clubs this is not a deterrent some will pay the fine or serve the ban and this will control their behaviour in the future. But others, continue to give referees grief, especially with referees struggling to write compelling reports about the incidents. James said poorly written reports are easier for clubs to challenge and receive lesser fines or no fine at all, he thinks referees should have access to more support when filing a report. Last season, he helped a referee write a report which led to £250 fines for both clubs involved.
In James’ 12 years as a referee, he has experienced an assault once, when a player threw his yellow card at him and refused to leave the field. The incident then escalated to the player blocking the referee’s changing-room doorway effectively holding him hostage. As shown on the graph Lincolnshire is generally below the national average on statistics, except on assaults. To combat this Lincolnshire FA are trialling bodycams, in 2023 they became the first football association to use bodycams in football matches, and they have been used in over 4,000 fixtures across eight leagues since. In total, the bodycams have been used six times in situations where the referee felt it was a necessary deterrent.
James thinks this additional support is exactly what referees need he said: “If people know they are being filmed, they stop.” Alongside this, sin bins and a captain-only speaking to the referee scheme, are other avenues that helps referees, but the key message from James is: “Teams respect referees that work hard, you do not tend to receive abuse if you are good at what you do.”
In conclusion, the measures are there, and Lincolnshire FA are trying to tackle the issues they are facing, but more support is still needed for referees reporting issues.
