There is a crisis in organized sports in Canada because more referees are quitting because they are exposed to ongoing abuse..One proposed solution is using body cameras during matches..Ontario Soccer looked at their registration numbers from before COVID-19 and after all the restrictions were lifted. The numbers were good for players but could have been better for referees..“It was shockingly low and we started to compare that with our friends in other sports, hockey and basketball and other team sports and they were reporting the exact same thing,” said John Misley, CEO of Ontario Soccer..An article from the Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC) published in March stated many hockey and soccer referees were quitting in significant numbers..The SIRC used data from Fitz-Gerald to show Hockey Canada had a decrease in the number of officials, going from 33,000 before the pandemic to 16,000 after the pandemic..Ontario Soccer also experienced a significant decline, with the number of referees dropping from 8,500 in 2019 to nearly 4,900 in 2022..Misley has been working with Ontario Soccer since 2015. Before that, he had a career that included roles in organizations such as BC Hockey, Hockey Canada, and the Western Hockey League, where he was an Assistant Coach for the Victoria Cougars in the late 1980s..Misley stated they tried to figure out why there was such a significant decrease in the number of people interested in becoming sports officials..“The number one reason, based on our surveying of referees that left the game was because of referee abuse,” said Misley. .“The pandemic gave them a chance to be idle for a period of time and that it was nice not to be criticized in some cases verbally and in some unfortunate situations physically assaulted.”.The SIRC looked at data from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, which surveyed 19,000 referees in the United States..The survey discovered 55% of those referees reported verbal abuse significantly affected their decision to leave their sport..Around 59% of officials mentioned they did not feel respected by parents or fans and 42% said sports organizations did not take sufficient steps to deal with the ongoing abuse..Ontario Soccer aimed to find a solution to the problem and that's when they got the idea of using body cameras. They found a similar project by the English Football Association (FA)..The test project will happen in Ontario until the outdoor soccer season finishes in October and it might continue during the indoor season in winter..Misley explained since they are still gathering information for the project in collaboration with Brock University in St. Catharines, ON. They have not talked to other provinces about whether the project could be useful for other provinces..“We’re going to provide some reports and then share that report not only with the UK but also with anybody here in Canada so they can review it and consider what they may or may not want to do with it,” said Misley..A Saskatchewan Soccer spokesperson said that their organization is not presently working on providing referees with body cameras..“We are in constant contact with our peer member associations and do monitor the issues and projects that they are working to address for potential deployment here in Sask. We are aware of the project and will monitor the outcomes as we normally would,” said a Saskatchewan Soccer spokesperson..Kelly McClintock, General Manager for Hockey Saskatchewan, stated they have not had any talks about referee abuse..“With so many facilities now having video services such as Live Barn, there is no need for body cams,” said McClintock.
