Abstract

Adopting a creative yet novel autoethnographic approach, this study explores the experiences of the first author, a newly qualified footballing official. In doing so, the study provides a first person account to showcase the realities of refereeing whereby adding to a small pool of refereeing literature in the process. In providing an evocative account with a theoretical analysis, the research aims to 1) improve knowledge surrounding the current high drop-out rates within youth football referees by showcasing, and explaining the challenges associated with the position 2) inform and subsequently aid aspiring officials in their ongoing development and finally 3) encourage other referees to speak up to voice their concerns within the profession. By constructing the said narratives in an easy-to-understand manner, the study looks to showcases the challenges associated with officiating to a broad audience.

Introduction

For many years, scholars have looked to develop a first person approach to research that advances social sciences through ethnographic storytelling (Ellis et al., 2010; Hayano, 1979; Reed-Danahay, 1997). Decades have since past and now a variety of academics have produced and reviewed their use of ‘autoethnographies’ (Ellis, 2004; Grant, 2010; Méndez, 2014). By challenging traditional methods of research, supporters have found thoughtful, engaging ways to open up to express, portray and to evoke an ‘insider’s point of view’ (Allen-Collinson, 2013; Wall, 2006; Young & Atkinson, 2012). Whereby, the method has loosely told the reader ‘what we do not hear’ and show ‘what we fail to see’ (Bochner, 2000). Due to this scholarly demand to discover the unique experiences of often silenced populations (Sparkes, 2020), within the field of sport, scholars have naturally embraced the qualitative approach and have produced a variety of creative and insightful vignettes (Ing & Mills, 2017; Mills, 2015; Mitchell et al., 2016). One such area of enquiry that would benefit from the approach would be within sport officiating, where at all levels and between sports, some say it has become normalised to criticise and question the performance of match officials (Terekli & Çobanoğlu, 2019). As a result, at a time when referees are deemed key to the restoration of football following the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent survey results states that 9 out of 10 of officials have received verbal abuse in the sport and many are questioning the support they receive (Webb et al., 2020). To counter this, policy makers and sport’s governing bodies are now running support workshops, but referees are not only failing to naturally progress to elite levels, but are discontinuing in large numbers(Terekli & Çobanoğlu, 2019; Webb et al., 2020, 2021). While as discussed, the COVID-19 pandemic will have had a negative influence on this cessation of sporting officials, further government guidance and restrictions will not only impact the difficulty for governing bodies to gain new recruits but also the current problematic retention rates (Webb et al., 2020). With such, without an effective recovery strategy in play that understands the challenges of our referees, the implications of abuse could potentially both reduce the pool of new recruits required for the fulfillment of fixtures at grass roots levels, thus reducing the opportunities for players to develop/stay active but this could also reduce the quality of elite referees, when County Football Associations are often quick to fast track talented officials to the elite game (Webb et al., 2020, 2021).

However, moving forward, an investigation using first person approaches could loosely represent both individual and collective experiences to answer key questions to why pre-COVID referee numbers were indeed plummeting (Devís-Devís et al., 2021). However, without comparable qualitative studies within the sport officiating literature, there is a need to embrace such first-person methodologies (Delorme et al., 2013; Devís-Devís et al., 2021; Friman et al., 2004).

That said, when utilising first person approaches to research, scholars must encourage readers to arrive with a belief that life and experiences are stories that we can listen to rather than question what is being represented (Grant, 2010). In doing so, successful papers can allow others to listen to those who are often not being heard (i.e. referees; Webb et al. (2020) ) and this process can help us all move towards a ‘better world’ (Dauphinee, 2010; Devís-Devís et al., 2021; Grant, 2010). To help achieve this, Le Roux (2016) acknowledged “the multilevel layers of researcher reflexivity, given the researcher and research are same person” . Then, after the first author retrospectively produced the narratives, the first and secondary authors both had lengthy discussions to intentionally prepare and evolve the stories so they are unique yet generalizable to highlight key refereeing experiences (Ellis et al., 2010; Winkler, 2017). Therefore, by the first author “sharing, discussing and reflecting” upon the direction of the narratives with the second author, like Mingé & Zimmerman (2013), the evocative narratives are “unpacked theoretically” with the trusted other to aid the research process and to circumvent the limitations of an over reliance on self-obtained data (Le Roux, 2016; Wall, 2016; Winkler, 2017).

With this in mind, taking on the collaborative approach of critically analysing and reflecting upon personal narratives (Gilbourne, 2012; Ing & Mills, 2017; Toner et al., 2012), throughout this manuscript, both the first and second author seek to add to the growing pool of sporting literature by exploring the first authors short adventure as a county accredited referee in association football (AKA Soccer). With past experience playing and in employment in the sport, the first author believes he has an understanding of the environment and perceives himself to be a cultural insider (Gilbourne, 2012; Gilbourne & Richardson, 2006). However, he finds himself in the juxtaposition between football person and referee to describe his pressing evocative ‘vulnerabilities’ (Defenbaugh, 2008; Jones, 2006). That said, when he reflects upon his refereeing training and continued development, he found himself drawn towards what happened during his first competitive fixture following the official qualification status as a ‘referee.’ Whilst, he started writing the piece from memory as a self-reflection to help make sense of a troubling situation as a postgraduate student, he was initially hesitant to submit the work for internal examination (Doloriert & Sambrook, 2012). Rather, in time, the first author found himself speculatively forwarding a draft manuscript to a critical friend (i.e. the second author), who has an expert understanding of said’ approaches. Thus, like Ing & Mills (2017), the collaborative ‘journey’ evolved the manuscript from what can be described as ‘a number of messy descriptions of lived events’ to informative texts portraying true ‘evocation’ (Ellis & Bochner, 2003; Mingé & Zimmerman, 2013). It is hoped by this process, the aim to be ‘moderate’ on the evocative to analytic continuum will allow this manuscript to combine personal perspective with analysis ‘to advance the readers understanding ’in ways it might never have otherwise been’(Wall, 2016). That acknowledged, while we intend to make the manuscript illustrate the hurdles the first author singularly faced, contemporary empirical literature has begun reporting the common problems when pursuing a career as a ‘referee’ (Cleland et al., 2015). Therefore, by revealing the environment in an easily understood manner (like Smith (2013) ), it is our hope this manuscript will provide support to all who have a vested interest in officiating in the sport. While the first authors consent is tacitly implied, the author has since removed himself from his officiating role and both authors must stress that individuals involved in the study have been anonymised to cause no further harm. The episode that follows will explore the events and reveal the first authors feelings attached to his refereeing adventure assigned to officiate a grass roots Sunday league under 10 fixture in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, his thoughts looking back are then offered.

Refereeing Adventure

Black Clouds

A week later, I tug at the side of my window so my head can stick out. I see rain. It feels early. But, I can only hear the spray of cars moving through pot holes along my flooded road. It seems that the day has already started without me. I now look to find my referees kit in the dirty washing basket beneath me. I know it must be still there. I hang an empty smile below my eyes as I find my last sock and immediately, I go walking towards today’s coliseum. It is not that far. I now feel vibrations from a 4x4 as it shuttles past, soaking my black tracksuit through to the skin. But, I am not here and you cannot see it, so it does not matter. As water now drips off the small number of hairs that attempt to conceal my sunken jaw, I trudge through the gravel pit, they call a carpark. I now see the home team manager meandering around puddles towards me. Have you ever been caught up in a dream, where your legs were frozen but you could not escape? I have. I am so relieved when he tells me today’s fixtures are cancelled. Yet, I have to let my lips lie to vent my disappointment; my heart knows how I feel. But, do I need to tell him of my desire to quit? No, that will get me nowhere. I stand under a hollow birch tree as the wind picks up and the precipitation falls more violently. Maybe this is what it means to be an official? The shackles are loose and I will finally break away.

Reflections

Whilst writing this manuscript, both authors were keen on understanding the susceptibility for authors to be self-indulgent when creating and critically assessing narratives (Emerald & Carpenter, 2016). Therefore, both authors began discussing the key themes of this narrative to minimise such aspects. The first vignette understandably illustrates the author’s failures in meeting the challenging situations associated with officiating (Cleland et al., 2015; Dell et al., 2014; Folkesson et al., 2002; Friman et al., 2004). Although the first author was not taught to resist confrontation, he was initially confident in his ability to control the situation through an ‘assertiveness’ evident by standing his ground in a bid to promote good conduct. This premise illustrated by ‘I am the referee,’ the passage of words shaped like a sword to showcase the ongoing fight to stay in control of the game. However, despite the slow removal of the coach from the field of play, perhaps explainable by his difficulty in accepting authority from a referee perceived to be of ‘inexperience’ (Friman et al., 2004), the first author was then subjected to both verbal threats and physical abuse during the competitive fixture. Although Friman et al. (2004) advocate that similar hostilities are typically the result of others lacking knowledge of football rules, due to the nature of his miss-treatment, it may be effective to associate the supporter actions with confrontational spectator’s behaviour normalised in professional football (i.e. modern fan culture) (Cleland & Cashmore, 2016; Razavi et al., 2014; Slabbert & Ukpere, 2010).

That appreciated, while the events are perhaps explainable, the narratives also showcase how helpless a referee can be in response to forms of conflict. When subjected to similar hostilities, refereeing workshops support the home club secretary’s role in dealing with supporters/coaches behaviours. However, when such assistance is unavailable, in problem situations the recommended alternative of abandoning fixtures would likely cause further confrontation from all parties. Therefore, with the option of direct resistance towards the supporters/coaches likely to be ineffective (Mann, 1989), the first author found himself in a difficult position where the only obtainable alternative to ensure my safety was to ignore the abuse and finish the fixture (Friman et al., 2004). However, as the narrative showcases, this process too has many difficulties, made apparent through both the physical and psychological abuse which caused damage to the ability to officiate (Dell et al., 2014). As a result, due to reductions in self-confidence and self-worth, burnout followed (Dell et al., 2014; Rainey & Hardy, 1999; Wolfson & Neave, 2007), which in this instance eventually led the first author to question his commitment to the role moving forward (Parsons & Bairner, 2015). This process outlined by ‘leaving a nobody,’ the short evocative feelings intentionally shaped like a pawn, to illustrate the authors feelings to the role in being discarded, a small piece to a bigger game. With stylistic similarities to Gilbourne & Richardson (2006) tales from the field, this vignette showcases while the referee understands footballing culture as he has been in the coach’s position, he simply cannot grasp what triggered the events to occur. That said, while this made the first author become burdened with self-doubt, by attempting to formulate external attributions to explain others bad behaviour (i.e. others frustrations, lack of footballing knowledge and desire to win), he did acknowledge his potential susceptibility to make mistakes to stay adequately assertive in a bid to see the fixture out until its completion (Wolfson & Neave, 2007).

Finally, the ‘Dark clouds’ reflective analysis then shows how referees often suffer in silence (Defenbaugh, 2008; Jones, 2006). While stigma and misunderstanding permeates through the sport, making mental health in referees a taboo subject (Mellick, 2020), this vignette then highlights the many mental health challenges associated with refereeing and the need for the development of a forgiving platform to allow referees to speak up. As despite the importance of many referees to the sport, in this short vignette, the first author feels he has no choice but to turn his back on the profession because of the outcomes of this sporting culture.

Conclusion

In light of the English Football Association’s recent RESPECT campaign (Cleland et al., 2015; Wilson, 2017) which indirectly aims to improve the experiences of footballing officials, there are still unresolved high attrition rates that they advocate cause a shortage of referees in the sport (Dosseville et al., 2014; Taylor et al., 1990; Wolfson & Neave, 2007). That appreciated, with little known about the reasoning surrounding referee’s retention (Warner et al., 2013), by making himself vulnerable with a purpose (Winkler, 2017), this study reveals how demanding it can be to officiate and the challenges that are involved.

While the abuse encountered is deemed to be ‘normal’ in the sport (Terekli & Çobanoğlu, 2019), this study highlights the continued need for increased authority to officials; not just in the implementation of the laws of the game but also for highlighting the importance of future interventions targeting supporters behaviours (Brackenridge et al., 2011). Therefore, at a time following the COVID-19 pandemic when governing bodies acknowledge their concerns surrounding the mental health of referees, coinciding with the recent launch of The FA’s ‘Mental Health Pilot Scheme’ Based on this research design, to achieve change, governing bodies could move away from empirical based data and using similar first person approaches; delve deeper using case study analysis by developing a platform to allow referees to speak up. This would not only shed further light on the realities of the profession but also uncover what support is required, moving forward.

However, while having the ability to ‘block out’ abuse is a key characteristic of top level elite officials (Slack et al., 2013), at an amateur level, the narrative reveals like Dell et al. (2014), that referees often feel left underprepared and lacking the necessary skills to be a success. Therefore, the narrative promotes the importance of referees self-reflection of their vital skills and knowledge of the role; particularly when such hostilities are common in modern football cultures (Dell et al., 2014) effectiveness of the RESPECT initiative in the elite game (Cleland et al., 2015), at lowers levels, there could perhaps be a greater emphasis on reducing the win at all costs attitudes ingrained in the sport through environment subtle law changes (e.g. silent side lines- allowing encouragement only and referees respect marks given to respective clubs). Whereby, this whole development could be facilitated by increasing contact between governing bodies, individual referees and coaches (Parsons & Bairner, 2015).

That said, auto-ethnographies can both “show” and “tell” (Ellis et al., 2010). Therefore, by combing evocative personal perspective with theory driven analysis, through this approach we have both shaped the environment and described the nature of the experiences (Ellis & Bochner, 2003). As a consequence, we have allowed readers an opportunity to walk in the referees shoes, to explore this complex yet ‘ordinary’ experience (Emerald & Carpenter, 2016, p. 28). However, as we look to directly represent the realities of the profession, we wish to draw to attention the hurdles that many are required to overcome to do the duty as ‘referees.’ Thus, with comparable events of misconduct perhaps to blame for the recent surge in refereeing withdrawals [taylor1990a; wolfson2007a; dosseville2014a], we will not draw neat ‘conclusions’ from the study (Kamsteeg & Wels, 2017). Rather, we simply hope the current paper enables others to overcome difficult situations and encourages the said others to voice their refereeing experiences. As this process could not only provide hope and direction to budding referees but potentially initiate change in the years to come.

Additional Information