The Season of Respect campaign aims to help raise awareness and tackle the ongoing problem of abuse towards referees and officials in County Clare.
It has become apparent on both a national and local level, that the volume of abuse towards officials and referees, across all sports and age grades, is extremely concerning. There is a crucial requirement to improve the levels of respect owed to such critical stakeholders of sport in County Clare.
![Referee](https://claresports.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Referee2.jpg)
The Season of Respect Campaign sees Clare Sports Partnership team up with the Federation of Irish Sport, Clare GAA, Clare LGFA, Clare Camogie, Clare Schoolboys/girls Soccer league, and Clare District Soccer League to tackle the rapidly-growing problem of abuse towards referees and officials across sport throughout our county. The constant mistreatment of referees and officials is leading to, not only to a lack of personnel being available for fixtures, but in some cases, referees leaving sport altogether.
The body of evidence of abuse experienced by referees and officials is growing fast, with a meeting in the Oireactas in June 2022 highlighting the problem of abuse towards our referees and officials. Additionally, a recent study conducted by Ulster University in November 2022, uncovered some shocking realities. Survey data collected from 438 Gaelic Games match officials revealed that 94% of this cohort have experienced verbal abuse, whilst 23% have experienced physical abuse during their career.
Help the #SeasonofRespect campaign by filling out the survey. Keep an eye on our social media channels as we unveil more details about the campaign.