December 19 – Allegations of serious offences against match officials in English grassroots football increased slightly last season compared to 2021-22, figures show.
There were 1,451 allegations of serious offences against a match official last season, an increase of 1% on the prior campaign where 1,430 offences were recorded, the Football Association (FA) data reveals.
The figures, contained in the FA’s Annual Grassroots Disciplinary Review, also show 72 allegations of an actual or attempted assault were made in 2022-23.
Of those, 53 led to charges being brought and 42 were proven, with 11 not proven on the balance of probabilities due to insufficient evidence.
To assist in improving conviction rates even further, the FA has now extended a trial using body cameras in grassroots football to eight county associations to act as a deterrent against abuse towards match officials.
In addition to the 72 assaults or attempted assaults recorded in the disciplinary review, there were 391 allegations of physical contact or attempted physical contact and 988 allegations relating to threatening a match official.
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