Latest news with #refereeAbuse
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NZ Rugby condemns referee abuse after provincial union postpones games
Photo: Unsplash / Davide Buttani New Zealand Rugby has condemned the abuse of referees after a provincial union cancelled all this weekend's games following another incident. Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is postponing all club and college games after a referee officiating a college match between its college team and a visiting school side last weekend "was subjected to serious verbal abuse and physical intimidation". The union said the abuse was directed at the referee throughout the match by multiple visiting individuals, with the abuse so severe members of the public felt compelled to escort the referee to his vehicle following the game for his safety. "Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union is appalled by this behaviour and stands with our match officials. This conduct has no place in our game, at any level and will not be tolerated." New Zealand Rugby's general manager community rugby, Steve Lancaster, said the governing body supported the HKRFU's decision. "New Zealand Rugby is deeply disappointed that the actions of a few individuals have resulted in the cancellation of this weekend's matches in Horowhenua-Kāpiti," Lancaster said in a statement given to RNZ. "We fully support the decision made by the Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Football Union and commend their commitment to upholding the values of our game. "Physical and verbal abuse has no place in our communities - whether at work, in study, or other activities - and rugby is no exception. There is no room for the physical or verbal abuse of volunteers in our sport. Rugby is built on respect, and we must all play our part in protecting and promoting that principle. "We continue to work closely with our provincial unions to monitor and address instances of abuse, and we are committed to providing support to those affected." HKFRU issued a warning at the end of May that it would consider cancelling games after it said a referee was threatened with being stabbed . That statement, it said, made clear that the safety and respect of referees was non-negotiable. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the union said all rugby across the union on 28 June would be postponed, including junior, college-grade and senior matches. "This will provide time to reflect and consider what kind of rugby environment we are creating and enabling. We must take collective responsibility to protect our referees, uphold the mana of our game, and ensure that rugby remains a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved. "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Stand up and show your support for our Match Officials," chief executive Corey Kennett said. In late May Kennett had said referees were being physically threatened, some faced physical abuse and a referee had been struck with a piece of field equipment, and one referee had been threatened with being stabbed. The union board was united in its condemnation of this behaviour, chairperson John Cribb said in the Wednesday night post. "It is unacceptable and not what we expect from anyone involved in rugby. Whether you're a player, coach, parent, or supporter, you have a responsibility to uphold the values of our game. Referee abuse undermines everything we stand for and will not be tolerated. We expect better, and our referees deserve better."
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Footy spectator banned for two years for abusing referees and opposition players
A rugby league match between Darwin Brothers and Litchfield Bears was dramatically halted after a spectator launched a tirade at the referee and opposition players. The top-of-the-table NRL NT Round 8 clash was in full swing when tensions flared from the crowd at TRL Stadium. After Darwin Brothers scored to close the gap to 20-18, match officials were alerted to abusive comments coming from the hill behind the goalposts. The remarks were described as personal and targeted, aimed at both the referee and Litchfield players. The referee, who had flown in from Queensland for the game, immediately stopped play. With the clock reading 61:39, he informed both team captains of the situation. Security and match officials stepped in to calm the crowd and identify the individual involved. The game resumed after a seven-minute pause. Litchfield Bears responded with two late tries to eventually win the game 28-26. The incident overshadowed what had been an entertaining and hard-fought contest between two of the competition's best sides. The spectator, identified as a Brothers supporter, has now received a 30-month ban from all rugby league activity. The 30-month ban is one of the harshest handed down in NRL NT history. The penalty includes 12 months for referee abuse, 12 for abuse of opposition players and six for bringing the game into disrepute. NRL NT operations manager Sheron McDougall said the suspension sends a clear message. 'It's a timely reminder to all clubs and participants that we need to be mindful this is a sport and we have a responsibility to abide by the code of conduct,' she told News Corp. 'We're drawing a line in the sand, it won't be tolerated. 'We hope these matters can be solved without a game being paused but the referee is well within their right to do so and we support that.' The game's governing body backed the referee's decision to stop play. NRL NT general manager Tony Crowe said the match official acted correctly. 'We 100 per cent support the referee's decision to pause the match,' he said. 'We've all come here to enjoy rugby league, not listen to some individual that thinks their opinion is above everyone else's.' Darwin Brothers president John Adams also condemned the incident. 'Our club doesn't condone any sort of abuse, verbal or otherwise, towards the officials,' he said. In a separate case, a Katherine spectator has also been banned for 12 months. That penalty came after they used obscene language towards a junior referee and behaved in a way that discredited the game. McDougall said all sports were seeing similar problems and urged better behaviour. 'This is happening across all sports and we have to be mindful,' she said.
CBC
18-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Calgary startup tackles referee abuse with microphones and machine learning
Abuse of referees in amateur sport has been an issue for decades and all sorts of attempts have been made to curb the problem, from sternly worded signs that remind fans to be respectful to green armbands that identify novice officials to body-worn cameras that record footage from the refs' perspectives. Now, a Calgary startup is employing a bit of all those strategies, combined with a type of artificial intelligence known as machine learning, to tackle the issue in a new way. Elements Athletics has launched a product known as Mic'd Up that involves wireless microphones in lightweight armbands worn by refs, coupled with signs that alert players, coaches and spectators that what they say can and will be recorded. The hours of audio caught by these mics would be cumbersome for a human to review, but CEO Mark Lootens says modern machine-learning techniques allow that process to be automated — and affordable. "That's the cool thing about where we're at right now, from a software development perspective," he said. "Our product didn't make sense three years ago. It would have cost a fortune. But we're in this really fun place right now, in terms of technology development, where products like this do become affordable, which makes them accessible, and applications like Mic'd Up for youth sports associations are feasible." Lootens says the company's "tuned machine-learning model" is capable of quickly reviewing hours of audio and detecting even subtle moments of abuse, insults or verbal threats directed at referees. The software then catalogues the incidents into a report that is provided to referees' sport associations, which can help when it comes to holding people who mistreat referees accountable. "One of the big challenges that associations run into is ... they have a hard time enforcing their own policies the way they meant to when they wrote them, because they don't have this record of truth," Lootens said. "A lot of times their situations devolve into he-said-she-said, and so we provide them with that record of truth." Young refs 'just not staying' Both Lootens and company co-founder Tamara Jarrett have worked as referees in the past and say the level of abuse they can face is not only troubling but also detrimental to the recruitment and retention of refs starting at the youngest levels. Jarrett said kids who are 13 or 14 can make good money refereeing, but she's seen many who give it a try and then quit due to the treatment they receive. "They're just not staying," she said. "It's not the money. They're just not staying." Lootens said referee abuse also goes "grossly underreported" because of the time and effort it takes for reports to be manually filed. "We're automating that, so that associations are dealing with a lot more data," he said. "The idea being that they can now start to identify trends, versus always just responding to a specific incident." 'This is a global problem' Elements Athletics received support from Platform Calgary, a local non-profit organization that helps startups launch and grow with mentorship, advice, connections to networks and access to capital. Platform Calgary CEO Terry Rock says the organization has helped foster the city's increasingly established tech scene, and it now counts roughly 700 tech companies among its members. So far, Elements Athletics clients have been local sports associations, but Lootens hopes to grow it around the world. "We see no reason why it can't be a global product," he said.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
New Derbyshire FA boss wants to crack down on bad behaviour
The new boss of the Derbyshire Football Association (FA) has said one of his main priorities is to reduce bad behaviour at grassroots executive Liam Rooney said "we will work together and try different approaches" to tackle bad behaviour by players and comes after national FA data showed there were 95 allegations of assaults and attempted assaults on referees in 2023-24, compared to 72 during the 2022-23 Rooney, who has also been a referee for the past eight years, said: "One of the reasons I got involved with this role is due to the levels of abuse [referees] were suffering and I wanted to go out there and see what's going on." FA data also showed the number of serious case allegations, including those against players and match officials, rose 17% from 3,636 to 4, while the number of FA charges brought following the allegations rose from 2,263 to 2,561, there was a 1% decrease in the number of proven serious cases. The new chief executive said tackling poor behaviour was a "key priority" as well as "carrying on" the development of Derbyshire's leagues, clubs, referees and Rooney said: "We will not accept it, we need players, coaches and parents have a responsibility to behave."The only way we can overcome that barrier is to work together and try different approaches." 'I want to be out there' Mr Rooney, who began his career with Derbyshire FA in 2008, said he was giving his "full focus" on his new role and would be stepping back from his refereeing duties."This will enable me to get out and speak to many leagues and clubs within Derbyshire", said Mr Rooney. "I'm not a CEO that sits behind a desk, I want to be out there talking to everybody about what the challenges are, what the successes are and what people need from us as a county FA. "My role might have changed but I'm not going to change" he said. "I'm still going to be out there, I'm still going to have those relationships and listen to our volunteers, referees, players, parents and coaches and support them going forward."
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Rugby union considers match cancellations after referee stabbing threat
File photo. Photo: Unsplash / Davide Buttani The Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is considering cancelling games after a referee was threatened with being stabbed. The union posted on social media that it was "deeply concerned about the escalating abuse directed at our referees, including recent incidents of verbal threats, threats of physical harm, including being stabbed, and actual physical abuse." It said it had been decided that if there are were further instances of serious referee abuse, all senior club rugby across the region would be cancelled for one full weekend. A Thames Valley v Horowhenua-Kāpiti match in 2022. File photo Photo: © Jason Bartley 2022 © Photosport Ltd 2022 / HKRFU said the problem had reached a tipping point, and the "safety and well-being of our match officials must take absolute priority". "This is not a decision we take lightly, but it is a necessary step to send a clear and unequivocal message, abuse will not be tolerated." If cancelled, those games would be rescheduled for later in the season. HKRFU chief executive Corey Kennett said the behaviour was "completely unacceptable" and "in direct opposition to the values of respect, safety, and integrity that underpin our great game". He said the problem had been building. "You've got to paint the landscape and this is not one weekend's activity. This is a culmination of the degradation of respect for match officials over a period of time," Kennett said. "What it culminated in is referees being physically threatened, some physical abuse with a referee being struck with a piece of field equipment, and then one referee being threatened to be stabbed. "We're just not going to walk past it. For us, the standard you walk past is the standard you accept, and so we're just not going to accept that." Kennett said HKFRU are investigating the two incidents, both of which were at senior games, and the police are involved. He's confident those responsible will be found. "We've got ongoing investigations so I can't comment on exact detail, but we have a pretty good hit record on identification," Kennett said. "Rugby's a pretty small and committed community, so it's rare for someone to be unidentified. "When we do (identify them) we prosecute them to the full extent of what we can and we always see a fantastic response from member clubs in particular who support that wholeheartedly." Horowhenua Kāpiti celebrate. Lochore Cup Final. 2018. Photo: John Cowpland/Photosport Ltd 2018 Kennett said the problem isn't confined to Horowhenua-Kāpiti. "Absolutely. It's a country wide epidemic. In fact if we were to have a table of the worst cases of abuse, we're (HKRFU) far from the worst. "But it doesn't stop the effect of what is happening. These volunteers that go out every week and enable the game to happen. They don't go along to watch. They don't go along to sit down and take it easy. They make the game happen. "This game does not happen without them. They will leave their home, their family. They will take time off work. We're always short of referees and we will have them officiating in two to three games per day and sad fact is they could be abused at all three to various levels of abuse. "We just need people to really have a look in the mirror and some of them need to give themselves an uppercut, but some of them need to think about what would you do if that's your family member, your husband, your wife, your son, your daughter. You know, what would you do? Are you going to walk past that standard or are you going to stand up and do something and that's what we need." Kennett said referees are essential volunteers to the sport and deserve to officiate without fear of abuse or intimidation. He said the abuse was disappointing but the response from clubs and others in the province had been heartwarming. "We've had the whole of the rugby community agreed to this 100% unanimously, that we had to do something. "The Rugby Referees Association have been incredibly thankful for the support and they've been involved in the process the whole way. "What we're hoping is that we can get a combined approach and try and get this under control." The Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Referees Association said in a statement that it backed the union's decision to draw a line in the sand. "We are thank full for the support we have received from the whole Rugby Community to address abuse. "We very much appreciated being involved in the process and support fully the stance taken by the Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Union."
