Soccer refs in small Quebec town will wear body cams to curb verbal abuse
'I was practically in tears on the field,' says 14-year-old referee in Windsor, Que.
Delphine Nault says she was on the verge of tears while refereeing her first U12 soccer game last summer in Windsor, Que. about 20 kilometres northeast of Sherbrooke in the Eastern Townships.
The 14-year-old, who has been refereeing for about two years, says parents yelled at her.
"I didn't really know how to react," said Nault.
Nault says the last season was particularly difficult, and the incident even made her uneasy about refereeing that age group.
But she's hopeful next season will be different due to a pilot project in the town of about 5,000 which will grant some referees access to body cameras in an attempt to curb verbal abuse they experience on the job.
WATCH | Will body cams make referees safer?:
An attempt to keep referees
Martin Tremblay, president of the Minor Soccer Association of Windsor — which is behind the project — says the abuse is scaring people away from the job.
"We have problems keeping our referees," said Tremblay. "We're fed up."
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"Our referees are on average between 14 and 17 years old, so they're really young. It's often these comments that are quite harsh, which we see very regularly at almost every match."
He says the comments toward referees generally come from parents who are unhappy with the calls on the field.
Tremblay pushed forward with the idea in 2022, after an incident during a game that ended up before a disciplinary inquiry.
"We were asked if we had footage, but in that moment nothing was being recorded," said Tremblay.
"There was an upward trend. And after talking with other club representatives, we realized that it was widespread."
He says they bought four cameras for $250 each.
Hockey Quebec also struggling to retain referees
Hockey Quebec might follow in Windsor's footsteps as they are struggling to keep officials longer term, says Stéphane Auger.
A former referee with the NHL, he's now the director of officiating, player safety and rules and regulations at Hockey Quebec.
"The average official stays two years in hockey and it's similar to other sports in the province," says Auger.
He says those first few years are the hardest as a referee, with some starting at just 13 years old. Auger was 15 when he started.
"Sometimes the officials are not even a year older than the players they're officiating," said Auger.
"These are the kids that we need to take care of and the cameras could be an option."
Ref hopes parents and coaches are 'more gentle'
Tremblay's 16-year-old daughter, Kelly-Ann, is a soccer referee in Windsor and welcomes the initiative.
As much as she loves her summer job, she says she's seen things go sideways. That's what happened the first time she refereed a game with 14-year-old players.
"I made a decision for a penalty.… The coach wasn't really happy, so he insult[ed] me," said Kelly-Ann.
"I couldn't do anything because I'm only 16 and he was like 40."
She says she's seen the impact of verbal abuse on her friends — some of whom decided to not return to refereeing.
Although she has considered quitting, she says having a camera next year keeps her hopeful.
"The coach [and] players will be, I hope, more gentle with us," she said.
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With files from Sarah-Kate Dallaire, Émilie Warren and Radio-Canada