According to an article published by the Sports Information and Resource Center (SIRC) by March, hockey and soccer officials were abandoning the sport in large numbers.

Using Fitz-Gerald’s data, the SIRC noted that Hockey Canada saw its membership drop from 33,000 pre-pandemic to 16,000 post-pandemic.

Ontario Soccer also saw a considerable decline, from 8,500 referees in 2019 to almost 4,900 last year.

Misley has been with Ontario Soccer since 2015. His career has taken him to organizations such as BC Hockey, Hockey Canada and the WHL, where he was an assistant coach with the Victoria Cougars in the late 1980s.

Talk to Mr. NOWMisley said they tried to understand why there was such a massive drop in the number of those wanting to officiate.

“The main reason, according to our survey of referees who left the match, was abuse by referees,” he said. “The pandemic gave them the opportunity to be inactive for a while and it was nice not to be accused in some cases verbally and in some unfortunate situations to be physically attacked. »

SIRC studied data from Indiana University and Purdue University Indianapolis, which surveyed 19,000 referees in the United States. Its survey found that 55 percent of these referees said verbal abuse was a significant factor in their leaving their respective sport. About 59 percent of officials said they did not feel respected by their parents or fans, and 42 percent felt sports organizations were not doing enough to combat abuse.

Ontario Soccer looked for a way to remedy the situation. This is where the idea for bodycams surfaced after seeing a similar project carried out by the English Football Association (FA).

The pilot project will run in Ontario until the end of the outdoor soccer season next month and will likely continue through the indoor season this winter.

Misley said that as they are still collecting data for the project with Brock University in St. Catherines, Ont., they have not yet had discussions with other provinces about whether the project can work for them.

“We’re going to provide reports and then share them not only with the U.K. but with anyone here in Canada so they can look at it and think about what they might or might not want to do with it. “

Mr. NOW contacted Saskatchewan Soccer and Hockey Saskatchewan to see if body cameras for referees had ever been discussed.

Kelly McClintock, executive director of Hockey Saskatchewan, said in an email that there have never been any discussions about this, adding: “With so many facilities now having video services such as Live Barn, there is no There is no need for body cameras. »

Meanwhile, a Saskatchewan Soccer spokesperson said the organization is not currently working on a project to equip referees with body cameras.

“We are in constant contact with our peer member associations and monitor the issues and projects they are working to resolve for potential deployment here in Saskatchewan. “We are aware of the project and will monitor the results as we normally would. »

A request for comment was also submitted to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Recreation and Sport.

—

[email protected]