First-year refs and visible identifiers

This week's podcast guest is Brian Barlow, Oklahoma father and soccer referee Brian Barlow. On his facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/youreoffside/, Barlow calls out parents who are caught on tape displaying poor sportsmanship and offers $100 to people who submit the videos to bring attention to the pervasive problem of parents acting badly at youth sport games. Whether you agree with the shaming of this behavior or not, we can all agree that sideline behavior of fans is a big problem and is the leading cause to the shortage of refs in all sports. Other Highlights from the Discussion:

• The percentages of first year refs not coming back for the second year is dropping rapidly
• Kids who ref are terrified of the parents and that is not helpful
• Brian discusses why he started https://www.facebook.com/youreoffside/
• How far have some fans actually taken a perceived bad call?
• Is shaming parents the best way to help the situation? If not, is there a better way?
• Why are clubs so afraid of holding fans and parents accountable?
• How can we help first year officials?
• What is the dark side of posting photos of parents acting badly?
• Should a parent pull a player or a coach call a game for safety issues?
• Can a coach celebrate another team's victory?
• What would a conversation between a parent and a child about behavior in the stands look like?

Connect with Brian

• Email: barlow@pinapplecrushed.com
• Barlowontheball.com
• pinapplecrushed.com
• Stoprefabuse.com
• https://www.facebook.com/youreoffside/

References Mentioned

• When You Attend a Youth Sports Event, Know Your Role!, by John O'Sullivan [Article]

Visit us on: Web: https://changingthegameproject.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctgprojecthq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChangingTheGameProject/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctgprojecthq/ iTunes: http://bit.ly/wocpodcast Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. We are now offering you the ability to contribute as a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions)for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including:

• Downloadable transcripts of the podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes!
• A monthly discussion with John, James, Jerry, and other special guests talking about the previous month's episodes and answering some of the FAQs we received that month
• A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, but yours for free for becoming a patron, plus others including 'Transformational Coaching," "Respect the Kids," and "Warriors, Not Winners."
• Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences.

Thank you for all your support these past two years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions