When the Respect programme was launched, as well as focusing on professional football, the idea was to also improve relationships and behaviour at grass roots level.
One area has taken the campaign further in a bid to make sure their players are some of the best behaved in the UK.
Reading Referees’ Association and the Reading Football League have joined forces and launched some of their own initiatives to reward players and clubs for their fair play and good behaviour.
The League has introduced its own Fair Play league, where clubs will be ranked each week, using the marks awarded to them by the referee from each match they play.
A team from each division will then be rewarded at the end of the season but the Referees’ Association took a decision to make their own awards on 31st December, in a bid to build further bridges.
Reading Referee Association Chairman Stephen Green believes the initiative can help local football dramatically:
“We just felt that we wanted to show the clubs that we are part of the same game that they play. “We referee for enjoyment, believe it or not, and we appreciate the vast majority of players who just want to go out and enjoy their football.
“There is too much bad press about referees; perhaps this will make a pleasant change.
