Can we talk about the Pelham/Mamo game getting cancelled yesterday due to a lack of officials.
At a VARSITY game.
In Westchester
This is 2023.
This is happening nearly everyday in Section 1 and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Have you noticed the how old the officials are too?
Every year (January-March) the HVLOA offers training sessions. I recommend all former players/coaches consider taking on this new responsibility. Contact: president@hvloa.com
Also, the school districts are partial at fault for this problem. The staff at these games should have a zero tolerance policy for the spectators that openly abuse the officials.
They should be giving out cards to unruly parents! That parents kids team should have to take a penalty. Then you will see the other parents do something about shutting other parents up in the stands. Have schools security kick parents like that out already! Schools can do better with that!!
I fully agree that any fan, be it parent, student, whomever. The second there is anything said in the direction of officials you get one warning and then you're gone. A second ejection and you are gone for the season. The problem with this is getting staff at the games to actually do this. I don't see any scenario - short of having a police presence at every game - where someone from the schools staff will be telling people to leave.
You're 100% correct on the staffing issue at games. Unfortunately, they are most likely teacher aide's or lunch/hall monitors that are not prepared to deal with rude/obnoxious adults.
Yes, because who would want to do that? You’d have to pay a lot more than the $50 or so staff get for the game. Even then, who wants to deal with it?
School administrators need to step up and do it themselves or pay for police/security to do it.
Does anyone here really know the powers that officials have? This is a actually a serious question. I have thought for a couple of years now to get into officiating bc I see the way they are treated and I feel some of the officials are old and slow. BTW this is not an invitation to insult, yell and berate. They are doing an amazing service for our boys and girls. I am solely making an observation bc many officials are old and some of the hs athletes are future d1 stars so mistakes will be made bc they cant keep up. Mistakes will also be made bc they are human and deserve respect for the little money they earn and the service they provide. I was thinking about doing it bc l I am under 50 and can still run :-) and I love youth sports (3 kids who played a variety of sports and all played or play at some level in college). Yes I had my kids young. Getting back to my original question - CAN officials stop games, kick parents out, issues yellow or red cards for the conduct of parents?
One the officials step on the field pregame until the LEAVE THE FACILITY - this is important because they can still make calls when the game is over e.g. they can eject players for a post-game fight. They 100% have the authority for the game. The facility managers are responsible as are the fans, players and officials themselves for maintianing a postiivie atmosphere. The game officials can ask for an unruly fan to be escorted off. More specifically, what they would do is tell the home team's coach or game admin to handle it. If it is particularly egregioous they could stop the game until the person is gone.
In practice, however, if an official had a fan kicked out, that will more than likely fire up the remaining fans and even if he/she is correct it then becomes the optics of the official making it about them.
There is what they have the power to do vs. managing the game on the field.
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