I don't really see the point in that. That's like when you're driving, on your L and P plates the cops always pick on you more. I know it's a different concept but I still don't see why an angry spectator is going to reduce his abuse just because of a different coloured shirt.

The funny thing is that the colour of the new refree's shirt will make spectators stop abusing them and feel sorry for them as they are lime green!!!

Yeah, we can all join hands and stand in a circle and and sing "I can sing a rainbow". As long as everyone is happy and we have world peace how cares........

Different coloured shirts is BS. Let's get back to old fashion grading of refs. Start in low level social, if you can handle that then goto junior district, if you can handle that then goto U16/U18/U20 district and so on. Wearing a different colour shirt is garbage, you accept the job and challenge when you sign up. Learn to deal with it early when it doesn't matter in junior/school comp.

Oh Oh, he's wearing a pink colour shirt (it ain't pink, it's salmon). oh oh we can't talk to him cause of the coloured shirt....total crap. Wearing a different coloured shirt is just going to make you stand out in a crowd. Make a BS call, and 'oh, he's a JAFO, look at his shirt' Talk about exposing someone.......

Don't know what a JAFO is, watch Blue Thunder or ask someone wearing a blue shirt and drives a car with blue and red lights......

Fly, get your facts straight sunshine.. Cops don't pick on your more cause you are wearing a L or P. Cops usually pick on you (and I use the term 'pick' very loosely) because you are fanging around like a a-hole with 4 other peole in the car trying to be the next Alonso.

Try telling a mother that her son/daughter is dead because of some goose trying to be hero regardless of a P or L on the rear bumper..........

TR, thats crap, even the regular sensible P plate drivers get picked on. Its a fact, been stated by the police that they are on extra lookout for P plate drivers doing antyhing wrong. You lose your licence for doing anything 75 or over in a 60 zone while a regular driver can get away with 120 in a 60 zone. (Get away meaning keeping their licence). Ive been pulled over 9 times while ive had P plates up, only one i was doing stuff wrong (72 in 60 zone)- when i dont put my P plates up i never get pulled over.

Doctor B- TR is closer to the mark than you are. The speed limits are law and the tolerances are lower for P Platers because thay are inexperienced drivers, despite their opinion that they could win Bathurst 2 weeks after getting the plate. BTW any driver exceeding the limit by 60 kmh automatically loses their licence, except the dickheads who steal a car, smash it up, then admit they have no licence.
Back to the thread, any move to encourage young refs should be supported and some tolerance given

Doc B, Trust me, Police have better things to do than target and waste time with P platers.

regardless of a L or a P or a full licence never believe that people are targeted. Do something stupid or become known to Police as an idiot driver then you'll get pulled everytime.....

Here's an idea how about the spectator's or coach's who continually abuse refs , have to wear something to show , I can't control myself and would rather sit on side lines yelling abuse.
Make them stand out.

I am thinking about personally setting up a website which will have photo's of parents abusing umpires in it's Hall of Shame.
However I think that the coloured shirts are a good idea, the 'little one's' have to start somewhere and they shouldn't have to deal with the abuse at all.
The coloured shirts will highlight the fact that they are LEARNING and when some 40 year old, has been, living through his child, parent decides to abuse the learner then I would assume he will be dealt with harshly.
Spectator abuse is something that needs to be dealt with and this is a good start.
MM I don't think that labelling an abusive spectator will work as unfortunately some of them would see it as a badge of honour. The "I enjoy yelling at 14 year old children, it makes me feel big" Badge.

Unfortnuately your right Misty, there are some parents who forget it's just a game and believe it's a matter of life and death out there.

Hey MM

It can't be compared to "life and death" it's far more important than that!

Well said Bandit

BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND

I think the shirt thing is a GREAT idea. It will make parents think twice about having ago at jnr ref's. But at the same time who decides when they graduate to the Black and White shirts

Phantom,

Black and Whites on District games will be gone by the end of the Summer Junior Season (if we can still call it that). Gradually all black and whites will be replaced with grey shirts.

Once a Level 0 Progresses to Level 1 they will have the option of moving onto the grey shirt. If they and/or their UIC do not feel ready to move on then they may choose to remain in green until they feel ready to take the next step.

This concept was trialled nearly 20 years ago with a squad of referees taken under the helm of John Beames. He set up the "Elastoplast junior referees squad" and they were made to wear teal blue shirts. How do I know? - I was one of those referees and it has taken nearly all of that time to lose the stigma involved with parading these shirts around. Some of these blokes actually went on to become successful refs believe it or not.

The difference with elastoplast squad was that the blue shirt was suppose to represent the fact you were part of a junior referees program and that meant you had been identified as someone with potential. This program was followed with Howard's 36ers Junior Referees Squad (Grey Shirts).
I thought I learnt a lot from both programs and the most important thing was it made the senior referees know who was interested in developing their refereeing compared to those who were just in the game for the cash.

The problem with identifying referees is that you normally partner them up with experienced or other program referees and we only tended to referee Div 1 games. I never really had that much trouble with Div 1 games, more problems tended to come from lower grades. I can remember the good comments that use to come out though 'Wait till I speak to beamsy about this' or 'What did Howard see in this kid'.

The problems that exist with officiating now comes down to the gaps that have been left. 15 - 20 years ago we had 2 programs for our junior referees, but I am not sure how long it has been since SA had any other junior referee programs. As a junior ref I had the gnome, batty, caroline, ET, Robin, Weeksy and greg who would come out every week to offer great mentorship and guidance. Who does this job now?

Another bonus of the green shirts are that you can tell the difference between the learners and the lazy refs...

I am a umpire myself and i started bout 4 years ago and the abuse back then was terrible it didnt matter wat u called most of the time u would get abused by either team it just seemed like parents went out there to abuse refs no matter how old. but since the coloured shirts i have noticed a dramatic change with parents and coachs and their abuse. as i am a experienced and confident ref i wear black and white and i would of loved to have the coloured shirts in when i started because i took some much abuse which made me unhappy to ref and lose of respect for alot of the different basketball clubs in SA. But the sad thing to see was the past saturday when i went out to help umpire on a saturday morning 1 of the first things i saw was a coach screaming at a coloured shirt ref just because she had made a little mistake which wouldnt of even impacted the game results at all. i think there should be a punishment system for those parents coachs and even players who continully abuse coloured shirt refs.

Make the coaches wear a coloured shirt too?