GAA president Larry McCarthy on Thursday launched plans for a ‘Respect the Referee Day by stating that the actions of a minority had “cast a shadow over the entire association”

‘Respect the Referee Day’ will take place over the weekend of October 22nd and 23rd

McCarthy was referring to recent high-profile incidents involving physical or verbal abuse of match officials in club matches in Kerry , Wexford , Waterford and Roscommon which drew national attention.

 

McCarthy stating. “As we head towards the end of our first designated club season, there’s no denying that the club championship has been a fantastic opportunity for clubs to take centre stage.”

“And just as our club players have been put on centre stage, so have our referees and our match officials and it’s arguably never more important than at this time to single them out for appreciation”

“Our Referee Respect Day is a part of our commitment to raising the profile of referees and more importantly an awareness among the rest of our membership about the level of respect that we expect when it comes to supporting match officials.

There is no place for such incidents on the playing field, referees should and must be allowed to carry out their duties without fear of abuse or attack.