"I’m one of 130 active referees currently in the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees and from speaking with some of my colleagues as we’ve come back to rugby in recent months - whilst it isn’t a major problem - what we have found is some of the stuff being said from player to player, maybe spectator to player, and also towards the referees, it’s just not really acceptable. I suppose through this campaign we want to make sure that it’s nipped in the bud and this just doesn’t become a wider game issue.
"Thankfully in my 21 years as a referee I have rarely encountered any form of abuse, but on the odd occasion it has happened it can leave you in a very lonely place. We do this as volunteers. We don’t go out on a Saturday afternoon to listen to people hurling abuse at us and contesting every decision we make. It’s really important as referees we stamp this out at source and we don’t let it develop in our games, as that just grows into a wider, bigger problem.
"There’s no better feeling coming off that pitch when you know you’ve had a good game and that’s backed up by a few thank yous and a few handshakes or fist bumps and you can drive home feeling proud. If we’ve had a bad game, referees are our own worst critics and we don’t need a player, a coach. or spectator telling us so. That drive home can be quite lonely and quite difficult and we go off and reflect, as I’m sure players and coaches do when they’ve made mistakes during the game. Whilst the nature of the job maybe is that we might get a little bit of criticism, once that steps over the line and becomes abuse, it will simply not be tolerated.
"The game I was brought up with, the game I used to go watch my dad play is the very game I want my son to be involved with, and future generations moving forward. Integral to all of that is the core value of respect."