Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everybody. The most common word used today has been "volunteers". Without volunteers in all organisations we would have no sport. If we had no sport, there would be an awful lot of depressed people out there. I am a sportsperson and enjoy playing sport. I played soccer, Gaelic, rugby, athletics and tiddlywinks and did everything involved in sport. I have nothing but admiration for sport and think sport is fantastic for the health and well-being of anyone participating in or watching it.

One criticism I will make is that social media and sports pundits have a lot to say. I am disappointed that these ex-sports stars and ex-referees go on social media, radio, Facebook and everything else to criticise fellow players and referees and do not realise that these people are human beings. Over the last number of years, a large number of people have had depression, suicidal thoughts and everything else. This is something these people should not get away with. As a player, manager and currently county board chairman, one thing I have learned in sport is not to criticise your own. If you have nothing nice to say, do not say anything. That is something all organisations should look at.

We are here today basically to talk about referees. The biggest problem we have is when a referee makes a decision, puts it in his report and it goes to the committees and hearings. All of a sudden, it is an in thing that all clubs do whatever they can to get a decision overturned. That can even mean getting solicitors or barristers involved. All they are doing is belittling the decisions the referee makes. County board and associations are doing their best to help referees but this is about making the referees look stupid at all costs when he or she makes a mistake. I notice from my involvement in sport that this is becoming very common. We all have to put our hands up and to protect referees.

With ex-players and referees coming out with mental health issues, what is each organisation doing to help facilitate volunteers who have given up loads of their time to help the organisation, mostly free of charge? I will start with Mr. Ryan and Mr. Smyth in the GAA. I am the chairman of the Louth county board. I am a GAA person and have known Mr. Ryan and Mr. Smyth for a number of years. I have great respect for all the organisations, especially the GAA. The number of young people participating in the sport is fantastic.

The logo the referees have on their jerseys states, Give respect, Get respect. To me, it is a sign that before the whistle is blown, people can see the referees are there to do a job and that all they are looking for is respect. If you give them respect, they will give you respect back. It is a fantastic achievement that there are 3,000 active referees at the moment.

I agree with Senator Cassells. This year, I was involved with the Louth GAA. We got an extra 11 referees this year. That is a great boost because we play a lot of football. We need maybe 30 or 40, if not 50, referees every weekend to facilitate the games. As the Football Association of Ireland, FAI, stated, if you have no referees, you have no games. When I sat down to talk to those 11 referees, I asked them what their major problems were this year. They said the biggest problem they had this year was not on the field, but off the field. As Mr. Ryan and Mr. Smyth know, most GAA pitches in the country have a perimeter wall around them. The problem is the parents and the abuse they give to the referees. This is from the under eights and under tens, the Blitz or whatever it is. This abuse is creeping into all games. We will have to look at it going forward. Ms Hughes runs the Spirit of Rugby programme, which is educating the spectators and the families.

Do the organisations meet on a regular basis? Do they talk about the problems they have? They are the three biggest organisations. This year, my son, Stephen, retired from football but he wanted to stay involved in the game. He became a referee, which was great. It means he can participate in the game and carry on. The common issue for all the organisations is the turnover of referees. The FAI said that 66% of new referees withdraw their services after two years. To me, that is a high figure. That should not be happening. Mr. Phillips said earlier, and I agree with him, that as a sportsperson looking in, rugby seems to be the sport that gets the most respect. I do not know whether that is both on the field and off the field. I go to many rugby matches.

If the three organisations sat down and talked to each other, I am sure they would find many common goals. It is important to protect the referees. They are human beings. What protections are the three organisations giving to referees? When a referee gets abuse, a decision is made by the relevant organisation’s committee. Next, it will go to hearings, to the DRA or whatever. It is important we let the referees know we are totally behind them. As Mr. Smyth said, all of these referees are well trained and fit. There seems to be serious knock-down in all of the organisations. It is important that we protect the referees. We need the referees. Without the referees, we would have no games of football. What are the organisations doing to recruit more referees? What protections are they giving the referees? If a referee gets into trouble, either mentally or physically, what back-up plan do the organisations have?