All language subtitles for Reiteoir 2025_track3_[eng]

(distant shouting)

(shouting grows)

COMMS: And the referee
blows the full-time whistle

and just look at this!
Oh, yeah.

Just look- they need to get the
protection in there for the referee.

It's in excusable, really.

There's a bit of argy
bargy going on out there.

The referee has ended
up on the ground.

This is all wrong, this is
all wrong that the referee is
being interfered with.

And this is one of the reasons
the GAA has been saying we've
gotta keep fans off the field

they've no business being out there.

This is absolutely wrong what
is happening the referee.

Why did you decide
to do this research?

One key incident where I
witnessed in a game

a referee being physically
assaulted after that game

and I suppose where that sort
of left me was wondering, okay,

what sort of support is
there for that individual

and what can we do to try to stop
that abuse from happening?

That started with a survey that we
did on the career long experiences

of verbal abuse and physical
assault in match officials.

In terms of verbal abuse,
about 96% of referees said at some

point in their career that
they had experienced some

form of verbal abuse.
For physical abuse,

for physical assault it was about
20% over the course of their career,

so about one in five or so.

And what we also found
in that research was that that had

an impact on their mental health.

Greater experiences of abuse
were linked with higher anxiety,

higher depression,
lower well-being,

but also greater intentions
to leave as a referee.

We've also just published
a follow-up survey to that
which looked at

the 2022 - 2023 season and what
we found in that survey was

about 88% had said single season,
this was of about 300 referees,

that they had experienced
verbal abuse.

To find 88% had experienced
that in a single season

I think is shockingly high.

And what that shows is
that it's still a problem,

it's still an issue
and it's prevalent

and it's something that's
experienced by almost every referee.

Oh, that's brilliant.
That's fantastic.

That saves me a bit of hassle.

Terry, you take that
one there. Thank you.

That's perfect.
Thank you.

COMMS: There is the whistle
for the end. (crowd roar)

They'll march into the
All-Ireland semi-final..

..Gone down injured. Referee saw
nothing wrong with the challenge.

Some of the Kerry players have
stopped, Dublin haven't.

(crowd roar)

We're talking about the key
responsibilities of refereeing

you know and it's really,
really important that, you know

player safety, head height
challenges and stuff like that...

How big of an issue is the abuse
of referees in the GAA?

I believe
it's substantial.

I work with intercounty referees.

I was asked to do a
seminar on one Saturday,

probably about eight years ago,
to speak to referees around mental

health and how they were
on the field and off the field.

So I remember asking them if they
made a big mistake and the

game became about them.

How did they deal with that?

And the aftermath of maybe being
highlighted on the Sunday game or

social media gets a hold of it.

How did they go back
into work on a Monday?

And there was silence in the room
and one referee stood up and said,

this is the elephant in the room,
that this is what they're dealing

with and nobody is
particularly talking about it.

So as a result of that, Croke Park
asked me to provide a service

to the intercounty referees.

There's about 80 referees in total,
both hurling and football.

How often do referees come to you
to talk about physical and verbal

abuse that they may have received?

They may pick up the phone
the following day.

They may contact
you three months later

and they could be
suffering for those three months.

Anxiety is huge
and sometimes depression.

And some referees,
maybe it's human nature,

have a tendency sometimes to bottle
that up and hold onto it themselves.

But it's important that the service
is there to be able to support

them and help them in it.

From what you have
heard from referees,

is there a crisis
within the GAA?

One of the biggest threats
to the GAA would be refereeing

in the next five to 10 years
if we don't change the system.

It's not a free.
No one had the ball.

It's a hot ball.
I'm stopping for a head injury.

(shouting)

No, went for the ball.

(whistle blows)

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

CHILD: They're all these.
Right, so what do we do now?

What do you think we do?
The third letter.

Go to the third letter. Yeah.

So that's an I and
that's an S.

(girls shout)

..All about owning
the run, let's go.

Boys, listen up. You play football,
I won't have any bother.

All neutrals, right?

If they tell me there's anything,
I'll deal with it. All right?

(whistle blows)

We get four in each leg done and
then we're into our straight leg.

(lively chatter)

I always like to check. D'you
know you can do that? Yeah.

Remember, in the play before the
substitution, give me a heads up.

Barry, it's going to be
a sub from Tyrone

or it's going to be
a sub for Dublin.

Just I know that's in my head.
That's what's coming up.

♪♪
(crowd cheer)

COMMS: Dublin are absolutely
awesome here at Croke Park.

Nice ball inside... opportunity.
Another one on its way.

Ian Murphy finds his
goal scoring touch.

18 for 15, and 25 into 6.

I need to make sure
the gumshield's in first.

Gumshield in, has to
be in your mouth.

Have you a gumshield in your mouth?

Okay.
Up to the middle.

Okay.
I have a double.

Double Tyrone substitution.
Next break.

Double Tyrone substitution.

So I have 25 in for 6
and I have 18 in for 15.

(whistle blows)

Do you want to stop?
Okay...

15, I'm looking for 15.
And 6. And 6 please.

COMMS: Once again it's
Dublin on the attack.

Creative dispense and finishing!

Hill 16 is alive and well.

It's been a bad afternoon for Tyrone.

A wonderful afternoon for Dublin.

Good game, lads. Good communication.
Thank you very much.

Nice and clear.

You're doing all right, too.

Tyrone, Dublin and
temporary Dublin as well.

(indistinct chatter)

COMMS: Shane Walsh makes it a draw
game again with a minute to go.

..Under pressure. Free in, Galway!

Well, they've won a lot of those.

..there is a pitch invasion now.
The referee decides to blow it up.

It's over and Galway
have won three in a row.

I worked with a referee and
we had a chat one day about,

you know, making a mistake in a game
and we sort of calculated over

70 minutes how many decisions
the referee has to make

and between frees, what's a free
and not a free and letting the game

run and making that decision
and yellow cards and red cards

and timing and ticks and scores.

We calculated around
500 decisions in a game.

So, you know, if you get
the majority of those right,

you're probably
on the right track.

You're not going
to get them all right.

But that's how much pressure
a referee is under

and me sitting on the
sideline screaming abuse

probably isn't going
to help the referee.

(shouting)

Queer, pansy boy, batty boy, faggot.

To see it happening was shocking.

You can hear a bit
of emotions in my voice.

To a certain extent it was almost
normalised or that it was

the referee's fault because of
how he had refereed that game.

Abuse impacts on anxiety,
depression, well being and

intentions to leave as a referee.

Okay. This is the first step in
developing the support for referees.

We had some issues about referees
abuse and how we didn't provide

the facilities or resources
for refereeing to help

referees out dealing with that.

We didn't even know
the extent of the problem.

So then we started a survey
and that started the journey

to where we are today,
which is RefWell.

We recruit really well.
I think up to today,

say this year, now I
think we've over 600 referees.

Recruitment though probably
doesn't show the whole story.

I think the retention of referees
after two and three years becomes

an issue for us,
and that's part of this program

to keep them engaged with it.

We lose so many refs
for so many reasons.

And one of the main reasons I
find we lose refs is not even

the headbanger on the
sideline who's given off to,

you know what he's like.

And everybody knows what he's like.

Very often it can be if you do send
somebody off and they have somebody

very clever and they get a hearing
and they get the person off

on a technicality,
and the following week you're

refereeing that match
and that person runs out

and you say I thought I sent you
off? Yeah, but I got off.

So many, particularly if it's
something to do with what
they said to you or

abuse of a referee or whatever.

So there are issues
in here for all of us.

So the final thing I want to say
to all of you is just thank you all

for taking that whistle and
going out onto the field and

becoming a referee.

I hope you enjoy today.

COMMS: Ladies and gentlemen,
please give David Gough from Slane

our referee and his team
of officials a round of applause

for his contributions
to today's game.

(crowd commotion)
Now, now. Now, now.

My expectation of you today
is concentration and control.

Concentration for 35, 37,
38 minutes until we get back in here

and reassess.
Any information that you have,

you're coming in straight way.

You're not waiting
for a break in play.

I want that information and then I'll
decide what I'm going to do with it.

You're covering
the kickouts either half.

You're going to work
along the lines with me.

Work the lines, mark the frees.
Stay with me.

I'll be telling them
where to take them from.

We're going to keep
tight control of this.

If there's messing going on off
the ball, feed it into me straight

away and I will talk
to players as I run past.

The whole thing has
to be controlled.

We know from experience and Joe,
you know as well, these are

the most difficult games,
All-Ireland semi-finals.

Someone is going to be hurt
today going home. All right?

And we have to make sure that
everyone has equal opportunity

to win this game and give our best
for 70 minutes, 75, 80 -

whatever it ends up being,
just full control.

It's going to take eight pairs
of eyes and the eight of us

to get this across the line today.

(whistle blows)

No, no, around
here. Stop, Paul.

You know exactly
what you're at.

You're high and you're late.
You never got the ball.

You got the m- Paul.

End of conversation.
End of conversation.

I got the ball though.

He held it.
Don't test my patience, Paul.

I've explained that
there's no other way.

(crowd commotion)

(whistle blows)

Dean, how are we in there?

Just keeping an eye
on number 7 Armagh.

7 Armagh. He knows it already.

Aidan, Aidan!

(whistle blows)
Cut it out!

COMMS: David Gough...

to his credit has spotted an
infringement off the ball.

The free is quickly taken.
It's going to Armagh.

Brilliant strength
from him for a young lad.

And to kick the score.
It's back to two.

He's consistent.

Dean, will you have
a word with Blaine Hughes?

Tell him to stop
pushing David Clifford.

He should be nowhere near him.

We're going to have a big 15
minutes here, so all eyes on and

plenty of communication.

(crowd roar)

(whistle blows)