There’s an extra focus on referee safety as Utah high school football teams finish up the season.
When Lehi’s Skyridge Falcons take the field, at least four uniformed police officers will escort referees off the field at the end of the game. They will also be with them during halftime, according to Jared Youngman, who has been a referee in Utah since 1999. He also serves as joint board president of the Utah High School Football Officials Association.
This change comes after a fan allegedly punched a referee in the back of the head after Skyridge played Pleasant Grove High School on Oct. 6. The Lehi City Police Department investigated and said the individual involved has recently come forward.
Before the plan of having officers present was devised, Youngman said his association was prepared to block Skyridge and not work any of their games because of the Oct. 6 incident and other problems referees have previously reported with their fans.
Jeff Cluff, who oversees officiating at the Utah High School Activities Association, said many schools already use officers to escort referees off the field. After the Skyridge incident, Cluff said the association sent a memo to all schools asking them to do this. He also said UHSAA is working to put a formal policy in place. The earliest they could do that is their November board meeting.
The policy would make it clear that one of the responsibilities of police officers at sporting events is to escort referees off the field, Cluff said, and would also specify how many officers are required depending on the venue.
While it's not new, Youngman said referee abuse, both verbal and physical, at high school and youth games is a growing problem in Utah and nationwide.
“These are issues that have happened, I just don’t think that it’s come to this magnitude,” Youngman said, referencing the Skyridge incident. “If we don’t get ahead of it now and start realizing it’s a bigger issue, it’s only going to get worse.”
According to the 2023 National Officiating Survey, 56.94% of polled Utah high school referees said they have felt unsafe or feared for their safety due to administrator, player, coach or spectator behavior. Nationally, 51.31% answered ‘yes’ to that question.
In 2022, the Utah Youth Soccer Association adopted a zero-tolerance policy regarding any inappropriate behavior toward referees.
Youngman worries about not having enough refs for games because people won’t want to do the job because of how they’re treated
“We’re making 90 bucks for a football game,” Youngman said. “So at the end of the day, you know, we’re not officiating for the money.”
