Abuse of Sports Officials: How widespread is it?

Event details

Imagine this scenario: you wake up and head to work. Your job is demanding, and within five to 10 minutes of starting work, you begin to face abuse from all sides, and every decision you make seems to be challenged. You finish work, go home, file a report, and then go back to work the following week, only to face the same problems you faced the week before. This is precisely what happens to sports officials every week, particularly football referees.

This seminar focuses on a study of football referees from around the world. We will be discussing the abuse that referees experience at all levels of the game and the potential consequences of this abuse. It's important to understand that referees leaving the game could have negative effects on the overall health of the sport.

Biography

Dr Tom Webb is an expert in the global management, leadership, operational environment and working practices of sports officials. Dr Webb has published extensively on the subject of sports officials, including two books and over 40 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Tom leads the Referee and Sports Official Research Network, based in the Centre for Business in Society (CBiS).

Dr Harjit Sekhon has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers across management and marketing. Harjit's research with impact is very much about completing projects that make a difference to the business or the individual. Depending on the project’s remit, over the years, Harjit has used both quantitative and qualitative methods to undertake research for different types of businesses. This has ranged from setting up customer satisfaction-type projects to projects looking at purchase decision-making behaviours. Being in a position to draw on this reservoir of expertise means that Harjit can support businesses in fully understanding the needs of their customers and markets.

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