SCYSA Announces No Tolerance Policy for Spectator Behavior

The full policy is linked at the bottom of this Message and we recommend that everyone read through it. In addition, we wanted to go over some of the important points, discuss how the referees fit into enforcement and offer some practical advice. Section 2 lays out a broad scope of behaviors that can be identified as harassing to officials. Much like our definitions for dissent and foul and abusive language, these categories will be judged differently from official to official. Section 3 and 4 describes the process for which a spectator can be removed if they violate any of the behaviors listed in Section 2. One of the important points of Section 4 is that officials are NOT to engage with spectators. If an issue is identified, officials should only address coaches. REPORTING If it is necessary to have a spectator removed or abandon a match, the referee MUST submit a USSF match report to the SCYSA so that they may initiate discipline as laid out in Section 6. A link to the USSF match report is at the bottom of this email, can be obtained in the game report section of the SC Referee Arbiter group, or from your assignor or ARA. The completed form should be emailed to scysa@scysa.org. PRACTICAL ADVICE/FAQs The SRC recommends that officials use this policy in the same manner that we adjudicate dissent and foul and abusive language. It is not solely the referee that needs to hear a comment that is harassing towards the officials. Many times it might be the junior assistant referee who is hearing comments from the spectators that the referee does not. If this is the case, the assistant referee is instructed to notify the referee as soon as possible. The assistant referee should give the details to the referee so that the referee can handle accordingly. All referees need to understand that even if you may not consider something to be harassing, it does not mean that another member of your crew feels otherwise. If a member of your crew informs you of behavior they feel is harassing, it needs to be dealt with appropriately. When we consider issuing a yellow card for dissent, we judge whether the incident was simply a quick emotional outburst or something prolonged and negative towards the game. If we take that same approach to spectators, if something a spectator says would qualify as a "yellow card", we should be going to the coach and asking him/her to address it. If it happens again after being addressed, then the referee should use the listed procedures for having the spectator removed. While it is preferable that we use coaches to mitigate situations, there are certainly times where a spectator's behavior warrants an immediate removal. Again, we will follow procedures of identifying the spectator to the coach(es) and requesting that the spectator be removed. We do not want this new policy to change the way we officiate or for it to create "rabbit ears", looking for something to deal with. It is our hope that knowledge of this new policy and the consequences of violating it, will encourage spectators to change their behavior on their own. FAQ: What do I do if I can't identify the specific spectator? If you can't identify the specific spectator (or which team he/she belongs to) who needs to be addressed, you will need to pull both coaches together. Inform both coaches that they need to address their spectators. FAQ: What if a coach refuses to address/remove a spectator or the spectator refuses to leave? This is clearly described in the policy. If a coach refuses to cooperate, the referee will inform the coach that if he/she refuses to cooperate, the match will be abandoned and a report submitted to the SCYSA. FAQ: How do I abandon a match? If a match needs to be abandoned, inform both coaches that the match is being abandoned due to non-compliance with the Zero-Tolerance Policy. Immediately leave the field of play, gather your belongings and leave the competition site. FAQ: How soon do I need to submit a match report? If a match report is necessary (spectator removal or abandonment), the match report must be submitted within 24 HOURS. It is preferable it be done as soon as possible following the game so all of the details are still fresh in your mind but it MUST be done within 24 hours. Match reports should be emailed to scysa@scysa.org. As the policy begins to be implemented, the SRC will be following up with all officials in the coming weeks to discuss any challenges or answer any question that arise. Should you have any questions in regards to this new policy, they can be addressed to either the State Director of Instruction, Rick Rogers, at screferees.sdi@gmail.com or to the SCYSA at scysa@scysa.org.

Zero Tolerance Policy.pdf

Download PDF • 249KB