Referee protection abroad

[ThatWasShocking]

I've just read that Poland is implementing new law. Referees will receive the same protection as police officers and other so called "public servants"

It means that any assault of the referee will be persecuted by the state, so no need to go down the private law route. It will apply even when referee is assaulted hours or days after the game but the assault was in relation to his role as referee.

It's definitely a step towards right direction.

Awareness is also growing. One of the top sport portals created mini docuseries about grassroots referee abuse.

I'm guessing these are steps in right direction but doubt that FA would be willing to lobby for similar changes in legislation

 

[santa sangria]

This is the kind of thing that could make a difference.

It’s one answer to the “proper union?” question.

 

[RyantheRef]

This is the kind of thing that could make a difference.

It’s one answer to the “proper union?” question.

I've always wondered what the point of Referees' Associations is when they fail to represent referees to any authorities in a meaningful way.

 

[santa sangria]

I’ve just joined a winter training scheme. It’ll be about 25 hours. I pay 30 bucks for the privilege. No pay, no certificate, no pass/fail. Also promotions will be decided with no transparency, purely back room.

These are the kinds of reasons zero hours workers have got protection from employment law.

It’s pretty clear to me that referees get exploited but are too afraid to rock the boat (and are all masochists).

 

[es1]

Also promotions will be decided with no transparency, purely back room.

Pretty much the same here. Feel like they've got a little better with live merit tables but you still don't know where you stand and no transparency at the end.

 

[RyantheRef]

I’ve just joined a winter training scheme. It’ll be about 25 hours. I pay 30 bucks for the privilege. No pay, no certificate, no pass/fail. Also promotions will be decided with no transparency, purely back room.

These are the kinds of reasons zero hours workers have got protection from employment law.

It’s pretty clear to me that referees get exploited but are too afraid to rock the boat (and are all masochists).

In my local association, we are in the process of rocking the boat. It's been fun.

 

[santa sangria]

In my local association, we are in the process of rocking the boat. It's been fun.

Can you vaguely tell more?

 

[RyantheRef]

Can you vaguely tell more?

Absolutely. We are one of the last provinces in Canada to operate a Referees' Association outside of the Provincial FA which, hitherto, has been responsible for all referee development, training, assigning, administration etc. Basically the FA doesn't touch refereeing and we elect our own leadership to do that. Well, that has proven extremely ineffective. In the ten years since I've lived here, there have been a total of 2 promotion courses offered (one this year in a scramble to get some referees promoted from District to Regional -- which is equivalent of going from Level 7 to Level 5) and the other was six years ago to do the same. For me to go from Regional to Provincial (5 to 3), I had to leave my province for two years (I was able to secure work in another province, so it worked out) because most other provinces are organized and do promotions every year at every level. Beyond this, the "powers that be" are master gatekeepers who pick and choose which officials they want to invite to education sessions which really should be open-invitation. Another example is that I have been assessed dozens of times in the last three years and have not once received a written copy of my assessment. To make matters worse, for the most part, officials here have been largely oblivious to the fact that this is not how it's done anywhere else.

So when I moved back three years ago, I started meeting with some other senior officials to tell them that this is not the way it should be done, and with the FA and we've created a Match Officials Development Committee under the FA, we're going to remove all authority from the RA and they are going to be able to continue to operate more as a union for referees (advocating for match fee increases, advocating for referee protection, and offering services and social opportunities) while the FA is going to take over development. I've just had a meeting yesterday with the FA's Executive Director to go over our referee development plan for the next two years, which I've attached just in case you want to browse. The crazy thing is that none of this is being done currently.

 

[santa sangria]

Absolutely. We are one of the last provinces in Canada to operate a Referees' Association outside of the Provincial FA which, hitherto, has been responsible for all referee development, training, assigning, administration etc. Basically the FA doesn't touch refereeing and we elect our own leadership to do that. Well, that has proven extremely ineffective. In the ten years since I've lived here, there have been a total of 2 promotion courses offered (one this year in a scramble to get some referees promoted from District to Regional -- which is equivalent of going from Level 7 to Level 5) and the other was six years ago to do the same. For me to go from Regional to Provincial (5 to 3), I had to leave my province for two years (I was able to secure work in another province, so it worked out) because most other provinces are organized and do promotions every year at every level. Beyond this, the "powers that be" are master gatekeepers who pick and choose which officials they want to invite to education sessions which really should be open-invitation. Another example is that I have been assessed dozens of times in the last three years and have not once received a written copy of my assessment. To make matters worse, for the most part, officials here have been largely oblivious to the fact that this is not how it's done anywhere else.

So when I moved back three years ago, I started meeting with some other senior officials to tell them that this is not the way it should be done, and with the FA and we've created a Match Officials Development Committee under the FA, we're going to remove all authority from the RA and they are going to be able to continue to operate more as a union for referees (advocating for match fee increases, advocating for referee protection, and offering services and social opportunities) while the FA is going to take over development. I've just had a meeting yesterday with the FA's Executive Director to go over our referee development plan for the next two years, which I've attached just in case you want to browse. The crazy thing is that none of this is being done currently.

That’s great. And massive respect for getting in to that.

Where i am we have a kind of quasi independent org that lobbies for match fees. But, all the league employees and top refs and observers are also in it, and it doesn’t deal with welfare. So, it’s not a conduit for change - and there’s no interest in the leaders there to get real rights.

 

[RyantheRef]

That’s great. And massive respect for getting in to that.

Where i am we have a kind of quasi independent org that lobbies for match fees. But, all the league employees and top refs and observers are also in it, and it doesn’t deal with welfare. So, it’s not a conduit for change - and there’s no interest in the leaders there to get real rights.

I can almost guarantee that our RA will be exactly what you've described. I'm far more interested in development and performance, personally, so that's my pet project and ambition. We have others involved who are more interested in match fees and welfare issues than I am so I leave it to them.