Refereeing abuse: Your experiences & what you want to see happening

There are astir 28,000 referees successful England

The onslaught by Merseyside Youth Football League successful protestation astatine referee maltreatment - and statistic showing 380 bans person been fixed for attacks connected grassroots officials astatine each ages - has ignited different fierce treatment astir the issue.

BBC Sport asked for thoughts on the story and got much than 1,100 comments, arsenic good arsenic a further 1,000 submissions.

Here are immoderate of those thoughts, experiences and suggestions for change:

Why I discontinue refereeing

Rev Dominic Stockford: My worst infinitesimal was erstwhile a subordinate I had sent disconnected during the crippled appeared successful the referee's changing country aft the game. He started ranting and if a non-playing squad subordinate hadn't physically dragged him distant helium would person assaulted me. I was precise shaken, slammed the door, and stayed determination locked successful for implicit an hour, hoping helium would leave. I've since stopped reffing.

Ted Freeman: I refereed astatine grassroots level for 10 years but discontinue due to the fact that of maltreatment and an onslaught connected me. I could person carried connected for different 10 years, but nary convey you.

Alex Shaw: I utilized to referee for a section u12s league. I discontinue aft I got spat at, punched and had my car keyed by parents, each successful the aforesaid month.

Simon: A subordinate nether a mendacious sanction headbutted an hostile past told maine if I dared nonstop him disconnected I was next. Match abandoned, I discontinue the adjacent day.

Paul Jenkins: I person 3 sons. Two qualified astatine young ages. They didn't transportation connected for long. Less than a season. All down to parents' behaviour.

Ken Spedding: I called time/had capable aft 30 years of reffing. I abandoned an under-15s crippled owed to maltreatment from the manager and got nary enactment from the FA. It's getting worse.

Richard Smith: I hung up my referee's kit successful 2018 having qualified (with merit) done the Surrey FA successful 2010. It conscionable became excessively toxic, zero respect.

Tom: I got assaulted refereeing an adults crippled of shot aft I had sent disconnected a subordinate for convulsive conduct. I was successful my aboriginal 20s. I ne'er reffed again.

Graham Barley: I stopped refereeing 4 years agone due to the fact that the maltreatment was intolerable and the enactment from the FA virtually non-existent. Things person to change.

Mike Tyas: Referring is specified a worthwhile and fulfilling role. I did it for 23 years and loved 95% of it but the maltreatment yet took its toll and I quit.

Why I proceed refereeing

Sam Midwood: After reffing for 10 years, I've had a existent penetration into however atrocious the maltreatment tin be, but this has made maine much determined to stamp it out.

David: I deliberation behaviour successful shot has improved massively implicit my 25-year involvement. Reporting and sanctioning are importantly better.

Myles Harrison: Having been a ref for immoderate 20 years I inactive bask going retired each play and doing games. It does assistance that players cognize you.

• Referee abuse: FA issued 380 bans for grassroots lucifer authoritative attacks past season
• Bodycam proceedings for grassroots referees planned for 2023, FA says

Personal experiences of matchdays and refereeing

Andy Stringer: Would the morons who are abusing referees similar to instrumentality the whistle and bash it themselves? NO. Cowards picking connected 1 idiosyncratic is however I spot it.

Trevor Mitchell: I americium a erstwhile referee and assistance a younker league mentoring young referees that person been abused successful immoderate signifier oregon form. I person been called upon doubly truthful acold this season.

Paul Murray: I americium stunned that anyone wants to referee anymore. I person seen refs shaking aft the threats and intimidation. Managers and parents are the worst. Disgraceful!

Michael Winsor: I refereed astatine some inferior and big level. I personally didn't person a batch of problems with inferior property groups but astatine big level determination was nary respect for the referees, who were, successful a batch of cases, treated with contempt. The players request to realise that fundamentally nary ref, nary game.

Steve Whitewick: I'm a associated manager of a Sunday greeting men's team. We instilled a argumentation of heavy respect for each referees, whether we hold with decisions against america oregon not. The existent shortage of referees is not what we want. It has been agreed that immoderate misdemeanours against immoderate referee volition beryllium dealt with by a nine good and suspension from the squad for 2 weeks. It hasn't happened yet. We person travel up against teams whose subject has been little than desired and referees are present refusing to officiate their games successful future, which affects our squad if we are owed to play them.

Robin Sidebottom: I americium a grassroots referee. The leagues don't attraction astir us, you get nary travel up and you ne'er find retired what happened to the perpetrators.

Peter Collins: As a grassroots referee, I precise astir discontinue past twelvemonth aft being attacked. Retention is an contented and won't alteration until civilization changes.

Andrew Laver: I person been a referee since I was 14, conscionable implicit 30 years ago, my lad is present 17 and is simply a referee. The maltreatment has got worse. It is the pro game's fault.

Mike O'Bree: My acquisition arsenic a referee is the FA good clubs and prohibition players sine dice [indefinitely], but they play again wrong 5 years.

Richard: It's been similar it for years. Until idiosyncratic gets killed thing volition happen. I person been refereeing for 25 years. There is truthful small enactment retired there.

Stephen Smith: I americium a grassroots referee. I person been spat at, spat on, verbally and physically assaulted. Drastic enactment is needed.

Carl: Toxic behaviour/abuse from absorption players and parents has resulted successful 2 much genitor volunteers resigning from officiating my team.

• Teen referees study maltreatment and threats from parents
• Who'd beryllium a ref? How rising maltreatment threatens grassroots football
• Refereeing maltreatment astatine grassroots: 'A illness ruining our game'

It's not conscionable a shot problem...

John Turner: I person umpired astatine galore schoolhouse cricket matches and person had to nonstop disconnected a subordinate for abusive behaviour, truthful the occupation is not lone football.

Richard Wiggs: I americium a qualified cricket umpire - I person fixed the crippled up owed to breaking up 4 fights connected a cricket transportation past season. Grown men arsenic well.

Mike Fletcher: I'm a rugby referee and I've been fortunate capable ne'er to person experienced this benignant of violence. However, what small backchat and maltreatment I've received implicit the years comes invariably from parents and coaches - successful information the lone reddish paper I've ever fixed was to a coach.

What tin beryllium done?

Paul Fieldsend: I saw refereeing arsenic a mode to springiness thing backmost to the crippled I emotion erstwhile I hung up my boots. I americium inactive registered nether the Welsh FA, but I lone ref present to assistance retired my section nine successful Louth, Lincolnshire. Why? Because it's not worthy the hassle. If the referees went connected strike, including the top-level officials, it would item that without these officials determination is nary football.

Craig Aitken: Having played a batch of football, I would accidental that a toxic civilization of disrespect runs done shot astatine each ages. Referees are quality and marque mistakes, players marque loads of mistakes, but TV lone ever focuses connected referee mistakes and fundamentally condones abuse. It is astir clip teams were deducted points.

Anthony Hancock: It's quiescent simple, if you maltreatment a referee you are substituted immediately. It's down to grassroots shot managers to explicate this earlier each kick-off and enforce it.

Akif Waseem: I tally an under-15s team. If they talk retired of crook to the referee, they are subbed off. The modular needs to beryllium acceptable by managers, arsenic we are relation models.

Wayne Brennan: I emotion the thought of the soundless play and consciousness this should beryllium brought successful permanently for inferior football. A a nine chairman, I consistently witnesser unacceptable behaviour connected the sidelines.

David Nock: Respect is missing successful football. Look astatine rugby and larn from it. Any backchat connected the tract is fixed a 10-metre determination penalty. A 2nd offence and a subordinate is sent disconnected for a 10-minute sin-bin. Players 99% of the clip conscionable locomotion disconnected - nary complaints.

Steve Grimsley: Ex-referees should beryllium utilized to assistance and chaperone young refs.

Paul Turpin: Our nine is encouraging our younker players to suffice arsenic referees, to assistance them enactment and respect referees erstwhile they play.

Gary Sheppard: Ban adults from inferior football. Each nine provides a payment serviceman and that is it. Give refs assemblage cams and grant teams bonus points for bully behaviour.

Stephen Field: Nothing volition alteration unless the high-profile nonrecreational referees backmost walkouts and permission Premier League matches without officials.

David Waterfield: The clubs person to beryllium banned. We request corporate work from coaches, players and parents. Remove FA accreditation for offending clubs and coaches.

Charlie Monck: If you battle an official, you are banned for life. Simple. Officials - and players - indispensable beryllium protected from thugs.

David: Introduce a silent-shopper benignant exemplary for an appraisal of spectators and squad behaviour. They should past pass squad bans based connected abuse.

Ross Hamilton: As an experienced grassroots ref we indispensable promote younger refs to beryllium brave and wantonness matches astatine an aboriginal signifier to get the connection across.

Stuart Plummer: The occupation successful grassroots shot is the Premier league and TV. Until each players are booked for dissent towards an authoritative it won't stop.

Lee Homan: I managed a sports centre and saw this nonsense weekly. If referees oregon the league did thing past I took the close of a location transportation [away from the club]. No pitch, nary play.