I don't think we should be so arrogant that we can't learn from other sports. We've all seen how well it works in other sports, such as rugby.
Gordon Taylor
Quotes of the week
STATE OF THE GAME
Mondays, Sky Sports News
STUDIO DEBATE
Monday nights, Sky Sports News
Also see
As our State of the Game series continues, we look at the abuse that referees receive from players at grassroots level.
The sight of players complaining to officials is not an uncommon one - at both amateur and professional level - but frequently grassroots referees are quitting the game because of the verbal and physical abuse they receive.
Already this season there has been a spate of assaults on referees by amateur footballers. The number of attacks range from 10 in Surrey to 39 across London.
Around 7,000 referees have given up the game this year because of abuse and the Football Association admit they are now facing a crisis when it comes to finding officials, with fewer than ever taking it up.
As a result, the FA are trying to innovate. One solution is to only allow captains to speak to the referee and this has been trialled in 20 leagues with apparent success.
In the Armgrove Northern League, an even firmer stance was planned whereby anybody who yells offensive language in a loud manner would be sent off, regardless of whether or not the abuse was directed at the referee.
However, the FA pulled the plug on that idea and insisted they would rather focus on their own Respect campaign for now.
Example
The FA say the professional game must play its part and after a number of high-profile incidents this season Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the PFA, believes its members should indeed set an example.
"I think referees should be a no-go area - unless you can tell me differently I have never seen a referee change his mind - and if he's not a no-go area at least make it only the captains," he said.
"I don't think we should be so arrogant that we can't learn from other sports. We've all seen how well it works in other sports, such as rugby."
Northern League referee Mark Bond agreed, insisting high-profile incidents of players disrespecting officials, such as those involving Ashley Cole and Javier Mascherano this season, must be stopped.
"The top level have got to stamp it out and it's got to be shown every week that players who are using foul and abusive language on the television are not getting away with it," he said.
The FA are set to hold a summit meeting later this week with representatives from the Premier League and the Football League to see if players at the top of the sport can provide a better example to those at the grassroots level.
It appears that efforts need to be done to improve the situation or else the number of people signing up to become referees may drop even further.
To see more on our Ref Rage special report, see the video in the top right of your screen.
What do you think about the abuse referee's receive? Join the debate here.
