Retaining officials is as much, if not more, of a challenge for sporting associations as attracting them in the first place. In 2012, a report published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine — titled Violence in Canadian Amateur Hockey: The Experience of Referees in Ontario — found that more than 90 percent of the 632 referees who responded to their survey said they were recipients of aggression and anger. Around 46 percent said that referees are threatened by physical violence. Verbal and physical abuse of game officials and poor sportsmanship by spectators has led to a shortage of referees, many of whom are only a few years older than the kids they are officiating.

 

This workshop will assist officials/referees in identifying bullying behaviour and how to document and report incidents to the organizations governing body.