Refs on strike...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4280338/Referee-18-headbutted-spat-punched.html

I've had plenty of experience of seeing this type of behaviour - it's nothing new, it was like that 30 years ago. Difference being, most of the refs in them days were guys in their 30's, 40's and 50's. Nowadays, the refs are considerably younger, 18, 19, 20 and wanting to earn a little extra cash at the weekend. 

I managed our U14/15/16/18 teams.....and though I didn't see any violence towards the refs from the players, the verbal abuse they got from some of the Managers and opposition parents, was disgusting....no wonder they think "ah, fuck it".

The County FA's are generally fucking useless. The amount of complaints from refs, Managers, parents etc towards one particular Manager was incredible....and nothing EVER happened to him. Teams were actually intimidated to play against this team, solely because of this Manager. I remember the first time I came across him at U14 level....I just couldn't believe it. I said to the ref at HT "are you going to remove him from the sideline?".....and he said "he's always like that, doesn't matter what we do, he'll just come back and we'll have to interrupt the match".

At FT, I walked across the pitch, shaking hands with the opposition players, ref etc and towards this Manager....and as I got near him, I said "tell your lads well played, but you're a fucking disgrace" and walked away with a load of abuse being thrown my way. New to league, I just ignored it and put a report in to the league and FA, only to find out his wife was the County Secretary.....I raised it at a County meeting in front of his wife and other Club Secretary's....and to a man and woman, nearly every head looked down to the floor, as if to say "don't go there"....I was told it'd be looked into - it never was.

The County FA's need to ban ANY player who punches, head butts or threatens violence towards refs or players etc.....

The FA should act on such reports especially where County FA's are failing in their duty to protect referees and sanctions put in place against County FA's and teams deducted points when found guilty. 
Threaten to reduce funding to the County FA from the FA, make it a rule that members of County FA committee members must have no conflict of interest when considering cases where a club is reported for such offences i.e. related to or similarly closely connected to players or management of clubs being discussed in disciplinary meetings. The situation where the manager's wife was on the hearing committee was ridiculous, she should have excluded her self or the committee chairman should have done so.
The FA should send an observer to watch teams where there have been repeated complaints about the behaviour of players and/or managers and County FA's have failed to punish them.

Well said lads. It's horrendous what young refs, and other players and parents, have to suffer.

These days we may be able to video and use that against these people.

sounds like the county FA & the county secretary were in bed together ( take that as anyway you wish to interpret it) No insinuations on my part just unfortunate wording

Maybe I misquoted certain parts. The League Committee was made up of members - Chairman, Secretary, etc etc....she was the wife of 'the' Manager of a team in the League, but she was also the League Secretary, sat on the board of members from the League. She had no relevance to the County FA - except, the County FA govern the leagues in Cheshire.

At least 5 complaints were made to the League that I know of in my time as a Manager of the same age levels that 'he' managed. I even know that complaints were made to the County FA from teams within our own League about this Manager - but nothing ever happened. He was still allowed to manage without any punishment.

The time I spoke out was at a League meeting with all the club Secretary's...as I was in this role as well. Not at the FA. Still, nothing got done about it.

These days we may be able to video and use that against these people.


As for videoing Dawg....you have to ask permission from all parents etc to do this at Junior level....I'm also the Child Protection Officer at the club.

MCM - I agree, there shouldn't be any conflict of interest on the League Committee, nor the County Committee....problem is, these are all volunteers....and trust me, it's really difficult to get volunteers at grass roots level to commit so much of their time.....so I guess they turn a blind eye and hope that their isn't a conflict of interest - which I'm sure, generally, there isn't....but in this case, there clearly was as people didn't feel they could speak out - except for me, this new Secretary, making waves at his first League meeting.

Just get someone to video that has nowt to do with the club and submit it to the FA.

It's illegal Dawg to video at Junior football without permission. The Police can be involved....so you'll end up being touted as a kiddy fiddler to try and get the Manger, who is generally on the other side of the pitch from you, suspended.

It's not as easy as you think....otherwise, clubs would have done it. You don't want to tarnish the name of your club over one idiot. We won the Fair Play Trophy every single year I was Manager of those teams...even at U18 level.

Maybe that was because we were shit!! ...but we tried and played the game in the right way - never gave up and also respected the opposition, regardless of what we faced...and that takes real discipline that I was proud of my teams for - away in places like Merseyside, Runcorn etc....you get some shit from away teams parents etc.

But people are videoing kids all the time and nothing is ever said to them.