The number of allegations of serious offences against grassroots football match officials increased slightly last season compared to 2021-22, figures show.
There were 1,451 allegations of serious offences against a match official last season, an increase of 1% on the prior campaign where 1,430 offences were recorded, the Football Association (FA) data reveals.
The figures, contained in the FA’s Annual Grassroots Disciplinary Review which is being published on Tuesday, also show 72 allegations of an actual or attempted assault were made in 2022-23.
Of those, 53 led to charges being brought and 42 were proven, with 11 not proven on the balance of probabilities due to insufficient evidence.
To assist in improving conviction rates even further, the FA has now extended a trial using body cameras in grassroots football to eight county associations to act as a deterrent against abuse towards match officials.
The FA said earlier this month that referees have faced no instances of abuse in around 500 matches since the trial began in February.
In addition to the 72 assaults or attempted assaults recorded in the disciplinary review, there were 391 allegations of physical contact or attempted physical contact and 988 allegations relating to threatening a match official.
The review marks the first time the FA has collated data on disciplinary matters from the grassroots game.
Overall, there were 3,636 allegations of serious misconduct – a 9% increase on the previous season – with 82% of charges being proven.
There was also a 10% increase in the number of allegations of discrimination, with the average sanction for proven charges being a seven-match suspension.
Alongside the body camera trials, the FA has also introduced points deductions and ground closures for teams involved in serious or repeat instances of misconduct.
The FA has also launched its Enough Is Enough campaign to raise awareness of discriminatory behaviour in the grassroots game and how to…
More information about this article Read More
Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2023-12-19 03:08:00
Sky News is a British 24-hour information television channel, the first in Europe of its kind, launched on February 5, 1989 by the British Sky Broadcasting Company.