Pink jersey initiative aims to develop young P.E.I. referees in safe environment

2 week_ago 8

PEI

The P.E.I. Soccer Association has started a caller pinkish jersey inaugural for young referees. It came astir arsenic a mode to assistance support referees from maltreatment from coaches and spectators. It is besides designed to assistance support them from leaving the game.

Jerseys awesome to spectators, coaches that younker referees are inactive learning

Ryan McKellop · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 1:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 15

A antheral successful a pinkish referee jersey stands successful beforehand of a shot field, radical tin beryllium seen sitting successful tract chairs successful the region arsenic their kids play soccer.

The P.E.I. Soccer Association has started a caller pinkish jersey inaugural for young referees.

It came astir arsenic a mode to assistance support referees from hurtful comments from coaches and spectators. It is besides designed to assistance support the referees from leaving the game.

Nick Murray, the referee co-ordinator for the P.E.I. Soccer Association, said the programme allows officials who are 13 and 14 years aged to "stand retired a small bit."

"People volition cognize they're caller referees and that's wherefore they person these large bully agleam pinkish shirts and greenish whistles," helium said.

The shirts are meant to amusement the referees are caller and to awesome to spectators to not beryllium excessively harsh.

"It's conscionable the wide assurance tin beryllium eroded a batch of the time, not needfully successful a nasty way, but if referees are questioned oregon they're second-guessed, past sometimes that tin deflate the assurance a small bit, truthful that's wherefore the retention contented is ever an issue," helium said.

A lad successful a pinkish jersey stands successful beforehand of a field, galore parents tin beryllium seen successful the inheritance arsenic helium talks to a newsman holding a microphone successful frame.

Kieran Shipley, who is 13, has been a younker referee for 2 weeks and precocious refereed his archetypal game.

"It's a beauteous bully idea, truthful radical aren't excessively hard connected the refs."

Shipley said he's seen radical successful the past beryllium harsh with the referees. "Especially the older ones who are much experienced, they marque immoderate sketchy calls and the parents and coaches tin get beauteous riled up."

Shipley said helium feels "a batch safer" from that disapproval successful his pinkish jersey.

Murray said this play has been busy and much referees are needed.

"We person a ample fig present of teams astatine the under-11 property group, truthful the thought is determination are truthful galore that we request referees to referee those games," helium said.

"Those players are learning, truthful it was an perfect accidental to present caller referees who are besides learning to referee those games, truthful it works good connected each counts."

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He said much than 60 kids took the referee people this year, much than triple the accustomed number.

Murray said the fig for wide referee registration astir doubled this year.

"I deliberation our wide referee registration went up from similar 70 to 130 this year, which is simply a testament … to the occurrence of what the programme is trying to achieve."

Murray said the young referees whitethorn get different level of enjoyment from the game, adjacent though they're not playing, and helium hopes they volition proceed to play successful the future.