Field Marshal Program
Background:
| Referee retention is important to our game. A referee learning the game may not stay as a referee due to abuse. The most worrisome abuse is from team officials and spectators towards the referees. The abuse can come in many forms, but it is the verbal abuse, which is personal, provocative, and public in regard to the referee’s on field performance, that causes for the referees to quit (especially the youngest referees). It is a possibility they will make a mistake every game, but we have to encourage them to learn and improve rather than to insult/degrade their refereeing. |
| This unacceptable behavior towards our referees must be addressed as a priority if soccer is to have an adequate supply of experienced referees. |
| The Field Marshal Program is one program that SYSI uses to combat abuse on referees. A similar program was started by Calgary Youth Soccer in 2008 and SYSI followed suit. |
Specifics:
| The Field Marshall Program is intended to assign one individual from each team to speak up on behalf of the referee among their fellow parents/spectators. The program started in Outdoor 2015 and includes U11 to U19 levels of play. |
| All teams participating in the U11, U13, U15, and U19 SYSI league play are encouraged to designate an individual at each game (home and away) to act as a Field Marshall. |
| The individual acting as the Field Marshall (FM) must be named on the team’s game sheet. |
| The Field Marshall is to wear any arm band, and bib as identification. |
Responsibilities of Field Marshall:
| Position yourself in the middle of your team’s half of the spectators’ seating area. |
| Monitor the behavior of your teams’ parents. |
| The Field Marshall is expected to act on behalf of the referee by reminding parents to keep their comments to themselves and refrain from vocalizing their complaints during the game. |
| Quickly diffuse potential problems before they arise by either being visible or calmly speaking with the individual(s) involved. |
| Deal with, and act on, inappropriate comments, gestures and/or general unsporting behavior directed at referees, players or any other individual by your teams’ spectators, but please avoid getting into a confrontation. If someone is still hostile after being asked to calm down, gather as much information as possible, but do not put yourself in a dangerous position. The Field Marshall will not interfere with the coach, but can gather information should he/she deem it necessary. |
| The FM's are not expected to put themselves in a situation which may compromise their safety and instead are asked to contact SYSI at info@saskatoonyouthsoccer.ca and fill a Game Match Report. When dealing with this type of issue, the Game Match Report of the FM will be used to make a decision. If only the FM will submit a Game Match Report, that form will be filed for future reoccurrences. |
| The Field Marshall is expected to support the referee when requested by the official to do so should a situation require this. |
Zone Discipline:
| Based on any official report, SYSI will forward the Zones the appropriate documents and each Zone will investigate the incident and act accordingly. If the issue has not been dealt with on a satisfactory manner by the Zone, SYSI’s Discipline Committee will decide on a resolution. |
| The number of games suspensions should follow the same format as the Ejections paragraph in SYSI's General Operating Rules and Regulations document (more specific to the Abusive Language/Indecent Gesture paragraph). |
Referee Feedback:
| Any questions/comments/complaints/compliments in regard to the officiating should be submitted to SYSI using the Referee Evaluation Form, which is forwarded directly to Saskatoon & District Soccer Referees Association Inc (SDSRAI) for follow-up. |
Guideline for scheduling:
Scheduling the FM is at the discretion of the team manager/coach and could be one of the following options (but not limited to):
a) 1 game per parent/game in alphabetical order (but not necessarily) at the first team meeting;
b) 2 or 3 parents that want to share the duties decided at the team meeting;
c) Or one parent assigned on the spot right before the game. |
| SYSI recommends that the assigning of the FM be done in advance in collaboration with the parents and if a parent will not be able to make it to the assigned game, they can always find a replacement. FM can’t be assistant coaches and assistant coaches can’t be FM at the same time. |
