WE wish to respond to the letter from 'Concerned Parent' about junior footbal (Star, September).

While we obviously regret even the most minor injury suffered by any player, injuries will happen, nasty fouls will be committed. On this item we would point out that referees are specifically instructed not to administer first aid to any injured player. Under FA regulations every team must have a registered first aid person present at each match and it is his/her duty to treat any injury.

The two local youth leagues oversee some 800 or so games in a season and have a record over the past 80 years which they are justly proud of. Obviously in a tiny minority of these games incidents do happen which are displeasing to all concerned but 'Concerned Parent' has provided a totally unbalanced view of the whole situation. Perhaps he could speak to all of the other parents and ask them to request their sons not to commit these nasty fouls that do occur.

We feel that your correspondent displays a lack of knowledge of the qualifications and duties of a referee which we detail some relevant points below:-

The Laws of Association Football specifically prohibit any person to enter the field of play without the express permission of the referee.

Any referee must attend a course and pass a proficiency test to obtain a Class 3 Referees Certificate before he can officiate in any game. The vast majority of these referees continue this education programme by attending their local Referees Society's monthly meetings where instruction and advice is again given.

As far as standards of refereeing within the junior game are concerned, unfortunately it is extremely difficult to get a Premier league or Football League referee to officiate in junior games but many of our referees do officiate at much higher level e.g. Unibond, North West Counties, Lancashire League, Premier League Youth Alliance etc. etc. where they are regularly assessed by Registered FA Assessors.

Any complaint about a referee is investigated by the relevant League Committees and, if it is thought necessary, the referee is observed as to his performance by a Referee's Assessor. A referee is assessed by each manager who gives him marks out of ten which is then sent to the league. Referees are not informed of these marks but if he is marked consistently low he would be assessed and advised as to where he is going wrong and given the opportunity to put these areas right. If these areas are not addressed he could be removed from the referees panel which has happened on some occasions. Unfortunately, many managers cannot see beyond one decision. It is not uncommon, if a penalty was awarded late in the game, for one manager to award a 10 and another manager to award a mark of four based on the one decision, regardless of anything else the referee did in the game.

'Concerned Parent' loves to loathe a bad referee's decision but it is noticeable just how much abuse a referee gets for a good decision purely because the vast majority of managers, players, parents and spectators simply do not know the laws of the game. This applies not only at junior level but, unfortunately, at Premier League and Nationwide League levels.

Quite a few of our referees are young boys/girls starting out in refereeing and are learning their trade. They do not deserve the abuse, both verbal and occasionally, physical, that they are subjected to. These young referees are accompanied to games by their parents and we would ask your correspondent would he allow their son/daughter to continue to referee with all of the abuse thrown at him/her? We think not. How often has a parent or manger done anything about a player abusing the referee?

As a committee, we feel aggrieved at your correspondent's allegations and are more than happy to pay for him to attend a referees course and sit the examination and to accompany him to any match he would care to officiate at. Then he could see at first hand just what it is like to stand in the middle of a park with every decision scrutinised by 22 players, the substitutes, managers, parents and spectators, followed by the seemingly statutary abuse and on certain occasions having your car damaged after the game by players, spectators and parents who insist that the result really doesn't matter. Unfortunately, there is a considerable shortage of referees. Many of the people taking the courses and obtaining a Class 3 referees qualification usually give up within weeks of officiating at matches because of the abuse. Well in excess of 50 per cent give up after their first season.

One final thought. If all of our referees declined to officiate on any given weekend what would happen to junior football?, Now there is a thought.

We would suggest that the vast majority of games pass without incident and would inform any parent that the game played by millions of people worldwide is as safe locally today as it is anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately injuries will happen and nasty fouls will be committed, just as they have always done throughout the years the game has been played.

Executive Committees of St Helens Juvenile Organisations Football League and Rainhill Junior League.

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