Respect the Referee

As we look forward to the start of MKDDL season on Saturday we wanted to give you an update in relation to our referees as we look to support them in carrying out their vital role for our club.

Following the feedback we received (in the survey carried out at the end of last season) and from speaking to some of the individuals we will;

• Empower our referees to stop or abandon games, as they see reasonably appropriate in the circumstances
• Allocate the home manager as the primary point of contact for our referees
  • They should ensure that the referee arrives and leaves the grounds safely, having been suitably briefed before and after the game
  • If there is an issue the referee will notify this to the home manager and ask that they deal with the situation
    • If it with home players, supporters or coaches then this should be straight forwards!
    • If it is with the away team then the home manager should discuss this with the away manager to resolve at the time
• The club will have an appointed ‘Person in Charge’ each day who can be called upon if required; this individual will be allocated on a weekly basis
• We will ask that referees report in confidence any issues with home teams
• We will support the referees in reporting formally (as is the BBFA requirement) any issues of concern following a match
• The club will carry out ad hoc checks to ensure the welfare of referees is not being compromised
• We understand that the MKDDL league are planning unannounced visits to ensure standards are being met, with sanctions for individuals or clubs if required
• We are working with the BBFA to establish ways to highlight junior referees and the need to protect them; this is likely to be armbands identifying the fact they are juveniles

I am sure you will support these steps and would ask that you share this with your teams.

Michael Turner

Chairman