Former Super League referee and mental health ambassador Ian Smith has given an impassioned plea to end the abuse of match officials, which he believes is prompting many to seek alternative careers.
In the final episode of an exclusive podcast series from the mental fitness charity State of Mind Sport, Smith opens up on the highs and lows of a remarkable career that saw him turn his back on refereeing to work promoting positive mental health.
He is now back involved in rugby league as a coaching consultant for Super League match officials and despite describing refereeing as the best thing he has ever done, is under no illusions where most of the difficulties in the profession arise.
“For some bizarre reason people feel that as soon as you put that referees’ uniform on you are fair game and should accept abuse,” Smith tells host George Riley.
“Never accept abuse of any kind regardless of what uniform you wear. If it was so easy then everybody would do it. If it was such an easy job why are we struggling to recruit referees? We are struggling to recruit because of the negativity and abuse.
“That is probably eighty to eight five per cent of the reason that people don’t take up the whistle. It may even be more. There are so many ex-players who come out of the game and we try to get them into the refereeing pathway – no chance. Why would I want to? Why would I want to put myself in that arena? And they don’t.
“Behind the uniform there is a real person that laughs, cries, bleeds and screams. So where is it in our psyche of rugby league fans, which is a fantastic sport with fantastic people – where is it in their psyche that they feel that is acceptable? In no other walk of life is that acceptable.”
Smith now speaks passionately about his own mental health journey both during and after his time refereeing, as a presenter with State of Mind Sport. In this latest podcast he combines some glorious highs from his refereeing journey, with some bitter lows in an unmissable conversation.
“For the vast majority of my career social media wasn’t around so it didn’t impact me. The name-calling was to your face at the ground. I don’t know how I would have coped now if I had got some of the abuse the young lads get now.
“I sent off Lee Radford for punching Ryan Bailey, and it turned out to be my last ever big decision. It was just as I was coming off the pitch I looked up and there was quite a bit of tea and coffee aimed at me. I looked up and saw the hatred and sat in the changing room. Players were passing and banging on my door – fans and dignitaries effing and blinding. I sat in that moment, a perfect storm, everything seemed to come in and for the first time in my life, and the one and only time in my life I thought I don’t want to do this anymore.
“A horrendous decision, but you only need to be in that moment for that one time to make the wrong choice. Sometimes what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
“Being a rugby league referee was one of the best things – the best thing I have ever done professionally. I loved it, absolutely loved it. Warts and all, abuse and all. It just took that moment for me to decide it wasn’t enough.”
SOM Talks: Referees is the latest series from award-winning mental health and fitness charity State of Mind Sport.
Hosted by George Riley, each episode explores themes in line with the unique challenges faced by our match officials both on and off the field.
Our previous series – SOM Talks: Transitions, featured six powerful tales of mental health challenges associated with major life and career changes and remains available to listen to.
SOM Talks is available on all major podcast platforms.
You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJpzHhlywnw
Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/som-talks-referees-ep-6-ian-smith/id1577496408?i=1000670862751