According to an article I published Sports Information Resource Center (SIRC) In March, hockey and soccer officials were leaving the sport in droves.
Using data from Fitz-Gerald, SIRC noted that Hockey Canada saw a decline from 33,000 officials before the pandemic to 16,000 after the pandemic.
Ontario Soccer also saw a significant decline from 8,500 referees in 2019 to approximately 4,900 referees last year.
Mesley has been with Ontario Soccer since 2015. His career has taken him through organizations such as BC Hockey, Hockey Canada and the WHL where he served as an assistant coach for the Victoria Cougars in the late 1980s.
Talking to paNOWMesley said they tried to understand why there was such a dramatic decline in the number of those wanting to take on the job.
He said, “The first reason, based on our survey of the referees who left the match, was due to the misuse of the referees.” “The pandemic has given them an opportunity to remain inactive for a while, and it is good not to be verbally criticized in some cases, and in some unfortunate situations physically assaulted.”
SIRC studied data from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, which surveyed 19,000 arbitrators in the United States. The survey found that 55% of these referees claimed verbal abuse was a big factor in leaving their sport. About 59% of officials said they did not feel respected by parents or fans, and 42% felt that sports organizations did not do enough to address abuse.
Ontario Soccer sought to find a way to remedy the situation. Hence the idea of personal cameras emerged after seeing a similar project implemented by the English Football Association (FA).
The pilot project will run in Ontario until the end of the outdoor soccer season next month and will likely continue into the indoor season this winter.
Mesley said they are still collecting data for the project in collaboration with Brock University in St. Catherine, Ontario, and have not been in conversations with other provinces yet about whether the project could work for them.
“We will provide some reports and then share that report not only with the UK but also with anyone here in Canada so they can review it and think about what they may or may not want to do with it.”
paNOW I reached out to Soccer Saskatchewan and Hockey Saskatchewan to inquire if body cameras for referees had ever been discussed.
There have never been any discussions about the matter, Saskatchewan Hockey General Manager Kelly McClintock said in an email, adding, “With many facilities now having video services like Live Barn, there is no need for body cameras.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Soccer Saskatchewan said the organization is not currently working on a project to equip referees with body cameras.
“We are in constant contact with our peer member associations and are monitoring the issues and projects they are working to address for potential deployment here in Sask. We are aware of the project and will monitor the results as we normally do.”
A request for comment has also been submitted to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Recreation and Sport.
—
