Jenny Hoel Lilleøren from Toten has been judging since she was 14 years old. Unlike many others, she has continued. – Once the players followed me to the dressing room. I walked away when they wouldn’t listen to me, she says. Incitement and harassment are cited as a reason why football is struggling with recruitment. Especially by female judges. More excitement In the Indre Østlandet football circuit, matches have been canceled because it has not been possible to get referees. And it could get even worse. – It goes in waves. We think we should have had more than we have, says former professional judge Tom Harald Hagen. He is a referee consultant and referee developer at NFF Indre Østland. Last year, the circuit recruited 50 judges. So far this year, 21 have started, only three are women. On a national basis, the number of active judges has decreased over the past three years. In 2019 there were 2,971 judges, last year 2,838. Just over 8 per cent of these are women. There is a small increase, the number is still very low. And a big problem is that many people give up quickly. Many quit after the Russian era. Then they have to choose their studies and the way forward. Then they often end up moving and thus end up as judges. – A large number start refereeing when they are around the age of 15 and unfortunately many quickly find out due to negative incidents that football refereeing is not for everyone, says Hagen. HETS: Referee consultant and referee developer Tom Harald hagen believes it is important to create a safe environment for the referees. Photo: Terje Pedersen / Terje Pedersen He believes it is a trend for adults to shout negative comments at young judges. – The attitudes are contagious to players, coaches, the public and it becomes a negative spiral. There has been a trend after the pandemic with an increase in negative cases. There are also more inquiries with complaints about the judges. I don’t have clear figures on that, but that’s how we experience it, says Hagen. Referee consultant Johan William Grundt in Indre Østland believes it is a sad trend that there is more incitement by judges. The circle has received several inquiries from judges who have had bad experiences, and now the outrage can also be spread quickly around the world in a few seconds. This makes the load even greater. – Everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the referee having good experiences at the match, he says. The NFF created a notification channel for referees some time ago to make it easier to report incidents and get help. – We have noticed that judges have recently become better at speaking up. The worst thing we can hear is that someone has quit, and then we find out afterwards that it was actually due to negative events and incitement. Without us being able to help each other, says Tom Harald Hagen. Not too fast too much He believes that an area with great potential for recruitment is players who quit. – Preferably adults in their late 20s, 30s and 40s. They can have a very nice career at the circuit level. They have found it easy to be good match managers as they have played a lot themselves. In addition, they are confident and good in matches, but also with younger referees. We want a good mix of young judges who envision a career and adults. It will have a good effect. The circle is concerned with creating a safe environment, where the younger judges judge together with the more senior and experienced at the start. Jenny Hoel Lilleøren believes that is the right way to go. – I think it is important not to push the young judges too much, too quickly. She thinks that, for example, taking the leap from judging 12-year-olds to 16-year-olds can be a big one. – At this age level, you may experience that the players say ugly things to you. It can be a bit frightening and difficult to know how to handle it, says Hoel Lilleøren. When she has experienced bad things on the field, she has considered giving up, but has pushed it away. – A learner to put it behind him, be strong and think that I will do better next time. She has clear advice: It is to talk to friends and adults you trust. She believes that one reason why there are few girls who become judges is that girls believe that it is almost only boys who judge. Therefore, it is important to get a girl who judges to relate to. For her own part, she enjoys being a judge, and for the most part she avoids unpleasantness. She learns a lot, not least that theory works in practice, she gets training and has a side job. That is exactly what Johan William Grundt believes is important. DEVELOPER: Referee consultant Johan William Grundt believes that being a football referee can be the start of managerial jobs. Photo: Diako Muradyaliabady / news He believes that precisely the fact that this is a job is something that must be used in the work to get more judges. One develops leadership skills and making quick decisions, which can be useful in many other fields as well. There is a need for more female managers, and being a football referee can be the way into this. – We must make a greater effort to get more people involved, he says. The football referee regretted it only after coming forward: – “Oi, shit, what have I done?”
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