Report by Referees Co Ordinator, John Rossiter to Co Board September 2013.
Stats Wexford teams, frees conceded, Fine for behaviour in Longford.
Were Wexford referees responsible for these frees, I do not think so!
Some issues that must be addressed:
Disciplinary issues within the county: To date a total of 98 disciplinary issues have been dealt with in this county and they are broken down as follows: Hurling 35 Red cards and 15 yellow cards, football 25 red cards and 21 yellow cards. There were two other issues of discipline associated with football clubs. Of the 60 red cards issued 23 of them are attributed to nine clubs and 22 of the 36 yellow issued are attributed to the same nine clubs. In other words the same nine clubs have been responsible for 38% of all red cards issued and 64% of all yellow cards issued or almost half of all cards issued. Two of these 9 clubs are responsible for a total of 15 cards or 16% of all cards issued. If these trends were to be reflected across all clubs then a mind boggling 256 red cards and 245 yellow cards could be issued in a year, it does not bear thinking about. 12 clubs have had one card only issued and 11 clubs have had no disciplinary issues and those 11 clubs should be complimented for their disciplinary records. Putting the facts into reality 23 or 47% of clubs are responsible for 12 or 12.5% carding offences and the remaining 26 or 53% of clubs are responsible for 86 or 87.5% carding offences. I think these figures speak for themselves and clearly indicate where our disciplinary problems lie.
- Knowledge of the Rules: Referees are trained annually in the rules, they are subject to an examination in the rules and have to undertake a fitness assessment. Players and mentors are not trained in the rules. We have reached a stage when the win at all costs mentality has become a reality irrespective of the real rules or the actual knowledge of the playing rules. Failure is in most cases attributed to the referee never to the players or the mentors. Last weekend 8 teams contested the Senior hurling quarter finals and this weekend 8 teams will contest the senior football quarter finals a total of 120 players over both weekends and if any of those players are having a bad game they can be replaced, but of course the referee cannot be replaced irrespective of what kind of game he or she is having. If the referees apply the rules they are wrong and if they don’t they are also wrong!
- Give Respect, Get Respect Initiative: Our games are supposed to be played in an environment of mutual respect but where does the respect exist for our referees when they are abused and insulted by both players and mentors. Is it correct that any referee should be followed to his car and subjected to abuse and harassment when a game is over? No it is not correct. Is it appropriate that players and particularly mentors should ask any referee to change a red card to two yellow cards because the player “did not mean it” yet he had broken a hurley on his opponent or the player had knocked out some of his opponent’s teeth? It is not appropriate and it displays no respect for the referee or his integrity. Any referee who is found to have changed a legitimate red card to two yellow cards will be demoted and removed from the official list of certified referees.
- The Future: With the arrival of the black card from January 2014 clubs players and mentors must be educated in the rules. The Referees will be under strict instruction to apply the rules and they do not have a choice. We assume that our referees are always going to turn up irrespective of how they have been treated. We want our games to be played yet we demonise the people that are central to the games being played. As clubs we refuse to play under certain referees yet we expect to have sufficient officials to cater for all our games 3000 plus in any year.
While poor standards or shoddy refereeing should never be tolerated the whole issue of discipline or the lack of it cannot be laid totally on our referees. We must look at the behaviour and attitudes of our players and mentors as a major contributing factor to the issues of discipline being currently experienced in Wexford. Referees do not instruct players to break the rules but maybe if our players were coached in the rules in a similar manner as they are coached to win then perhaps we would have less discipline issues and would not be as generous with our concession of frees and points when we represent our county.
