FYI from SCDSL
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The link below is a great watch and explanation about youth sports referees and why they are quitting which then explains why we have such a shortage of referees. Referees just don't want to put up with the continued abuse. Put yourselve in the shoes of the person you are verbally abusing. How would you feel if you were being yelled at, cussed at, followed to your car and threatened? Would you want to keep doing a job where you are constantly abused? How, as a parent, would you feel if your child was a youth referee and some out-of-control parent was cussing at him/her, following them to the parking lot or making them cry out of fear? My kids refereed 1-day and then quit because the parents were so brutal.
This past weekend we continued to have parents sent-off at record rates. Including a father of a 2008 player for verbally abusing and physically intimidating 2 youth referees. That parent is now banned for the remainder of the season. Another situation where two G05 players got in to a fight and the mother of one of the players (instead of pulling her daighter out of the fight) jumped in to attack the player her daughter was fighting with. This mother is now banned too.
Presidio has taken the steps that if ANY parent from ANY team is sent-off during the game then the WHOLE sideline is banned from attending the next game. My initial thoughts were that seemed to be a bit excessive and extreme but if parents continue to behave the way they are, we may have to look at extreme options moving forward. I'd like to think that, as a league, we have better sidelines than that and we shouldn't need to ban everyone but we can't rule anything out if this problem keeps up.
I will say that the majority of the parents on the sideline are great and not a problem. I certainly don't classify everyone as problem parents and I really don't want to implement punishment for everyone due to the actions of a few. But it's the actions of a few, and getting to be more than a few, that are causing big problems in the game for our children.
Coaches should lead by GOOD example. When coaches go crazy the parents tend to follow. We should have higher standards of ourselves when it comes to our children and how we behave in front of them. My kids would be horrified if I had even been sent-off from a game for verbally or physically abusing referres, players or parents. I keep saying - referees are human, they make mistakes, sometimes bad mistakes but if you think you can do a better job, take the referee course and get out there and officiate some games and see how that goes. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Please help your parents to understand that this is a problem that must get brought under control and please share this link with them."
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/youth-sports-officials-referees-quitting-record-rates-blaming-parents