The Darlington Soccer Club Inc. (DSCI) is a strong supporter of making soccer safe for all participants. Over the last couple of years, verbal abuse directed towards referees and assistant referees has been a particular problem. Accordingly, the DSCI has set up the following policy to help ensure the safety and enjoyment of all.
POLICY
Any coach, player, parent, relative, or guardian judged by the DSCI Discipline Committee to be guilty of abusive conduct towards a game official before, during, and after a DSCI House League game will be reprimanded in writing. In addition, the abusive conduct may fall under OSA Discipline Policy 9.0 (www.soccer.on.ca), in which case, appropriate penalties will be imposed. A second conviction, during the same season will result in all playing members of the immediate family in question being de-registered from the DSCI. In extreme cases, as determined by the Discipline Committee, the de-registration process may be invoked after the 1st offence.
POLICY PROCEDURES
When a game official feels that they are being abused, as per the scope of this policy, by a coach, player or fan, the official will be allowed to suspend the playing of the game.
If the abuse is verbal, the official will then verbally advise both coaches that the game has been stopped due to the abuse and inform both coaches as to the source of the abuse.
If the source is one of the coaches, the official will advise the coach that the next occurrence of a similar nature may result in abandonment of the game and that a Special Incident Report to the DSCI Discipline Committee will be sent in for review. Depending on the severity of the offence the coach may be dismissed immediately.
If the source is a fan, the appropriate coach will provide the official with the name of the fan and the coach must advise the fan that the next occurrence of a similar nature will result in an abandonment of the game. Further, a Special Incident Report to the DSCI Discipline Committee will be sent in for review.
If the fan is not associated with either team, both coaches are asked to speak to the fan, and ask the individual to leave.
The game will restart in accordance with the Laws of the Game.
If the game continues without further incident, the game official (mini game) is advised to inform their referee coordinator, who in turn will notify the DSC office, and a full field game official will directly advise the DSC office, that the game was temporarily suspended due to abuse towards a game official. Further, a note should be made on the game sheet.
If the abuse continues, the official will be allowed to stop further playing of the game and advise the coaches that the game has been abandoned and that a Special Incident Report will be forwarded to the DSCI Discipline Committee. The official must clearly indicate on the game sheet that the game was abandoned due to abuse.
1. The game official must contact their referee coordinator and the Darlington Soccer Club office to verbally report the incident within 24 hours.
2. A Special Incident Report, with the assistance of the Referee Coordinator, or the Darlington Soccer office, if required, must then be forwarded to the DSCI with 72 hours.
3. The DSCI Discipline Board will then review and deal with the report as per their guidelines.
4. If the game was abandoned due to the conduct of a fan not associated with either team, the Executive will determine the status of the game.
If the abuse is physical, the game official is advised to inform the coaches that the game has been abandoned and then proceed with Step 1 below.
Step 1 The game official must contact the Durham Region Soccer Association and the DSCI Referee Coordinator, and the DSCI office to verbally report the incident within 24 hours of the incident.
Step 2
A Referee Assault Report must be forwarded to the Durham Region Soccer Association (the District Referee Coordinator) and the Club Head Referee (through the DSCI office) within 48 hours of the incident.
Step 3
The Durham Region Soccer Association will then review and send the report to the DSCI regarding what, if any, measures are to be taken.
Step 4
If the game was abandoned due to the conduct of a spectator not associated with either team, the DSCI Executive will determine the status of the game.
***As our club is always concerned about the safety of our participants; if a situation has become uncontrollable, and the referee feels threatened, contacting the Durham Region Police would be an appropriate response.***
December 10, 2007
