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How Do We Protect Match Officials And What Can Be Done To Help Improve Officials And Respect Towards Them

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Rather than have this topic take legs in the roscommon thread and take that off topic
Think it deserves its own topic.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0901/1319994-referee-roscommon/

Match officials need more support, more training and there needs to be far harsher punishments of poor behaviour if you want to see a better attitude towards officials
thoughts?

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3695 - 01/09/2022 14:48:03    2439318

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Replying To KillingFields:  "Rather than have this topic take legs in the roscommon thread and take that off topic
Think it deserves its own topic.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0901/1319994-referee-roscommon/

Match officials need more support, more training and there needs to be far harsher punishments of poor behaviour if you want to see a better attitude towards officials
thoughts?"
I think the biggest problem is the "sweep it under the carpet" attitude when it comes to incidents like these in the GAA. I'd say there isn't one poster here that hasn't come across violence of some description happening on a GAA pitch. But too often the perpetrators aren't adequately dealt with. If the accused in this instance is found guilty then it isn't enough that he serves a lengthy ban handed down by the GAA. He should be prosecuted in the courts for assault and take his deserved punishment.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9541 - 01/09/2022 15:08:38    2439320

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Move along brining to see here….

Let's admit it all clubs (myself included) have at least absolute header involved. A coach or supporter who shouts abuse at the referee and opposition. These ****** should be ran out of every club and banned for life.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11429 - 01/09/2022 15:21:46    2439325

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "
Replying To KillingFields:  "Rather than have this topic take legs in the roscommon thread and take that off topic
Think it deserves its own topic.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0901/1319994-referee-roscommon/

Match officials need more support, more training and there needs to be far harsher punishments of poor behaviour if you want to see a better attitude towards officials
thoughts?"
I think the biggest problem is the "sweep it under the carpet" attitude when it comes to incidents like these in the GAA. I'd say there isn't one poster here that hasn't come across violence of some description happening on a GAA pitch. But too often the perpetrators aren't adequately dealt with. If the accused in this instance is found guilty then it isn't enough that he serves a lengthy ban handed down by the GAA. He should be prosecuted in the courts for assault and take his deserved punishment."
Good post Lockjaw, I agree with you 100% !

DUBJOHN (Dublin) - Posts: 939 - 01/09/2022 15:29:38    2439327

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Replying To DUBJOHN:  "
Replying To Lockjaw:  "[quote=KillingFields:  "Rather than have this topic take legs in the roscommon thread and take that off topic
Think it deserves its own topic.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0901/1319994-referee-roscommon/

Match officials need more support, more training and there needs to be far harsher punishments of poor behaviour if you want to see a better attitude towards officials
thoughts?"
I think the biggest problem is the "sweep it under the carpet" attitude when it comes to incidents like these in the GAA. I'd say there isn't one poster here that hasn't come across violence of some description happening on a GAA pitch. But too often the perpetrators aren't adequately dealt with. If the accused in this instance is found guilty then it isn't enough that he serves a lengthy ban handed down by the GAA. He should be prosecuted in the courts for assault and take his deserved punishment."
Good post Lockjaw, I agree with you 100% !"]If someone is headbutted in the street and requires hospital attention then any right-minded person would expect to see the aggressor suitably punished. The confines of a GAA pitch should be no different. Jail time, a criminal record and subsequent fallout might start deterring a few of these hard men.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9541 - 01/09/2022 15:42:02    2439329

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "
Replying To KillingFields:  "Rather than have this topic take legs in the roscommon thread and take that off topic
Think it deserves its own topic.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0901/1319994-referee-roscommon/

Match officials need more support, more training and there needs to be far harsher punishments of poor behaviour if you want to see a better attitude towards officials
thoughts?"
I think the biggest problem is the "sweep it under the carpet" attitude when it comes to incidents like these in the GAA. I'd say there isn't one poster here that hasn't come across violence of some description happening on a GAA pitch. But too often the perpetrators aren't adequately dealt with. If the accused in this instance is found guilty then it isn't enough that he serves a lengthy ban handed down by the GAA. He should be prosecuted in the courts for assault and take his deserved punishment."
Lifetime ban if you ask me, and a custodial sentence (but we all know the latter would be suspended). And as an extra deterrent, and to hopefully weed out such characters in the club, the club involved should be thrown out of every competition for the year. Draconian perhaps, but it might have a fella thinking twice the next time.

beano (Wexford) - Posts: 1460 - 01/09/2022 15:42:05    2439330

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I don't think we can get 100% guaranteed protection for all referes and officials in all games.
Nevertheless the advent of camera phones and video makes it so much easier to definitively name perpetrators.
In my years attending games in both codes- I have not seen any match official or referee being physically assaulted.
I have heard and witnessed many situations where officials have been verbally abused and attempts at intimidation made and a few times where mentor's/parents have threatened officials.
One huge difficulty is that too often these 'abusers' get away with it as referees do not report such incidents.
Why that is is another issue but is key to further aggressive and confrontational situations developing at that match and in future games.

This makes it impossible to fully stamp out such incidents.
I believe that verbal intimidation and abuse should be the starting point and should be reported in match reports and whatever is said or done is reported as accurately as possible so that perpetrators can be given appropriate sanction.
That should be the first step.
If that reporting of such abuse is continually taken then ultra serious assaults should not happen or will be less likely to happen.

Referees must have confidence in disciplinary committees to act when they report and that should be a given.

Another thing that should be done is to seriously reduce the number of mentor's who have access to sidelines. Far too often its Hurley carriers and water boys who get stuck into a brawl on the pitch and make the situation worse. Similarly with mentor's.... in many places there is no limit to the number on the line.

carlowman (Carlow) - Posts: 1852 - 01/09/2022 15:46:40    2439333

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The first step is to acknowledge that we have a culture of violence in the gaa

gahfan (Wexford) - Posts: 639 - 01/09/2022 17:18:42    2439343

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Lifetime bans, problem solved.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 01/09/2022 17:25:38    2439344

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Replying To gahfan:  "The first step is to acknowledge that we have a culture of violence in the gaa"
We don't. Some isolated incidents doesn't mean there is a culture of anything related to isolated incidents. No matter how the media will do their damndest to portray that image of the GAA.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7704 - 01/09/2022 17:39:15    2439350

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Replying To gahfan:  "The first step is to acknowledge that we have a culture of violence in the gaa"
I suppose the games involve a certain amount of physical hardness and that attracts some of these lads to them.
Part of the problem is the wider GAA problem of woolly worded guidelines and rules with no exact punishments for various different offences. If people knew that behaviour X incurred punishment Y it would be a start. But its not going to stop it all because when the red mist descends rational thinking goes out the window.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 14235 - 01/09/2022 17:42:19    2439351

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Replying To yew_tree:  "Move along brining to see here….

Let's admit it all clubs (myself included) have at least absolute header involved. A coach or supporter who shouts abuse at the referee and opposition. These ****** should be ran out of every club and banned for life."
Definitly its up to a club to ban these types, but in a case of assaulting an official this matter needs to be handed over to the Gardai. I've seen some awful acts of cowardice on GAA pitches over the years and there's no come back apart from a red card. Assault is assault whether on the pitch or the street.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2106 - 01/09/2022 17:44:20    2439352

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Replying To GreenandRed:  "We don't. Some isolated incidents doesn't mean there is a culture of anything related to isolated incidents. No matter how the media will do their damndest to portray that image of the GAA."
But there is definitly certain clubs that are regularly involved with thuggery, they have been at this for years and it gets passed down the generations and they keep getting away with it. That's what's wrong . Here in Kildare I could tell you the crowds that are always at it. I'm pretty certain it would be similar in other counties.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2106 - 01/09/2022 17:48:50    2439354

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Nothing will happen, The civil law will not be involved. The man will get a bit of a ban like Mayo Mick in the AI semi 2014. Nothing happens in eye gouging incidents re Comer or Donaghy cases. We need to move to a rugby style setup. The ref makes a decision, calmy and clearly outlines what the infringement was and tolerates zero BS. All the gamesmanship around interfering with free takers, Off the ball stuff when one team has a lead in the closing stages, all that has to be done away with. Dissent a black card. What should happen in this case is that the club be excluded form that event for the current season. If it was league that would almost surely mean relegation. Repercussions for clubs or counties would bring an end to this stuff overnight

Keephimthere (Roscommon) - Posts: 106 - 01/09/2022 17:51:56    2439355

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On that basis you're saying that someone who pushes a referee doesn't realise that the consequences will be at least a 48 week or 96 week suspension. That's simply not true and such occurrences are not brushed under carpet

Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 1967 - 01/09/2022 18:05:11    2439357

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Give them more tools to do their job. We have all sorts of objections to technology and replays. Why ? I will tell you why it is the old attitude that I need to be able to complain if the decision is against me. Maybe a motor cycle in hurling for the ref.. Seriously though anyone who thinks a ref can officiate a game in a pitch over 180 meters long with a ball that travels 100 meters plus at speeds of 100kmh is dreaming. There are paid officials in the GAA and this profession should be one of them. That will in itself will not improve things. A proper acadamy for training refs required. Lets be honest about it most of the refs I see are not physically fit and could not run to warm themselves.
The abuse of ref is around forever both verbal and physical. I have seen a ref streched off several times in my life time. Like has been said that gets swept under the carpet and the ref is expected to show up and officiate the next game. Allow one complaint to the ref in each half by the team captain that he should explain. After that send the captain off. It will never change except there are CONSEQUENCES. Mike the ref and rcord any conversation between managers, players and the ref. Then we will all know who the thugs are.
The GAA itself come up with rules that are ambiguous. Can not be implemented and then fade away because the clowns who came up with them cant be wrong. We have seen a few of these lately.

Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 2903 - 01/09/2022 18:08:13    2439358

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Replying To Viking66:  "I suppose the games involve a certain amount of physical hardness and that attracts some of these lads to them.
Part of the problem is the wider GAA problem of woolly worded guidelines and rules with no exact punishments for various different offences. If people knew that behaviour X incurred punishment Y it would be a start. But its not going to stop it all because when the red mist descends rational thinking goes out the window."
Exactly. 100% correct.

martinjoe (Mayo) - Posts: 519 - 01/09/2022 18:09:26    2439359

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Replying To gahfan:  "The first step is to acknowledge that we have a culture of violence in the gaa"
There isn't a culture of violence in the GAA. There is a culture of violence in society. Your a lot safer playing GAA than you are coming out of a pub in all towns in Ireland. The odd handbags stuff doesn't come anyway near violence.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2179 - 01/09/2022 18:55:55    2439361

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Replying To Viking66:  "I suppose the games involve a certain amount of physical hardness and that attracts some of these lads to them.
Part of the problem is the wider GAA problem of woolly worded guidelines and rules with no exact punishments for various different offences. If people knew that behaviour X incurred punishment Y it would be a start. But its not going to stop it all because when the red mist descends rational thinking goes out the window."
There's no issue with the rules or applicable penalties. The problem is that we tolerate the minor stuff. Challenging referee's decisions from the sideline is the entry level for all this stuff. It starts there. Clubs need coaches who stay quiet on the line. In an ideal world the clubs would remove those guys before they graduate to verbal abuse and assault. We can't control what's said and shouted by supporters but we can get rid of the win at all costs coaches who Challenge the referee's decisions.

midfield9 (Westmeath) - Posts: 102 - 01/09/2022 19:17:36    2439362

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All referees across the country should stop officiating for a period of time, that might bring some of these lunatics to their senses. I hate to suggest it but the GAA should investigate if fences that can't be scaled are to be installed in ALL GAA grounds; I don't like the idea but that might be required if these type of incidents continue. Let's be honest, the disciplinary process is not working at any level. If you can't get this process right at intercounty level and based upon what happened this summer, it isn't working then what hope is there for this process being successful at club level where there is even a greater level of parochialism. The GAA will never do anything about these incidents as there is a conflict of interest, some of these lunatics do a lot of work at their clubs on a voluntary basis.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2037 - 01/09/2022 19:49:10    2439363

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