Referee abuse is a threat to all of sport – Editorial

The latest incident occurred during a Taranaki club rugby match.

Editorial

THE FACTS

• A Taranaki rugby player received a 36-match ban for shoulder-charging a referee.
• The incident highlights a growing trend of abuse towards referees, affecting their recruitment and safety.
• Taranaki Rugby chief executive Jimmy Fastier emphasised that physical abuse has no place in rugby.

The story of a Taranaki club rugby player shoulder-charging a referee in a Premier club match has been met with swift action by the union.

What is concerning is this is just the latest in a string of stories of abuse towards referees in this country.

Just last month, Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Union chief executive Corey Kennett canned all rugby matches in the union after a referee was so seriously abused he had to be escorted to his car over safety fears.

The union had already warned it would cancel matches in response to escalating abuse towards match officials, but it happened anyway.

The month before, a referee had been threatened with stabbing.

Many sports are already battling to attract the referees and umpires needed to officiate the thousands of sports games which happen around the country every week.

Last year, Sport Waikato chief executive Matthew Cooper said without the commitment of officials, community sport would not happen.

“They are a vital but often overlooked and underappreciated component of our sport participation offer, making the game happen for the thousands of participants who take the field, pitch or court each week,” he said.

What aspiring referee would not think twice about getting into officiating after reading these stories?

They – like the players – are mostly amateurs who give up their time to offer their skill and dedication to the game.

Anyone who has had to step behind the whistle in social sport will know how difficult the job can be.

Anyone who does it deserves respect and thanks, not abuse.

Public criticism of professional referees is barely tolerated, let alone outright physical violence towards volunteers.

The Taranaki club player was given a 36-match ban for his shoulder charge on a referee.

It’s a punishment that certainly matches the severity with which such an incident should be treated.

Taranaki Rugby chief executive Jimmy Fastier says the sanction sends a clear message that physical abuse has no place in rugby.

It is pleasing to see a response as strong as this coming from the top.

But we need to reinforce this message at all levels.

From coaches, to players to spectators and sponsors, we can all play a part in nipping this worrying trend in the bud.

Any sign of untoward behaviour towards referees needs to be called out immediately – whether it’s coming from your mate, the opposition or the person next to you on the sideline.

The hundreds of thousands of us who enjoy sport in some form need to recognise we wouldn’t be able to without referees.

And so, it’s not just referees under attack – it’s all of sport.

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