09/05/2026
With the Braintree Youth Soccer season set to kickoff next Saturday, we had recruited Andy Fleming to make a video (attached below) 3 years ago, which we would ask you to take 2 minutes to watch, regarding a massive problem in youth sports, not just specifically soccer. Unfortunately, even 3 years later, referee abuse continues to be an issue.
As background, Andy Fleming is a lifelong Braintree guy, who came up playing Braintree Youth Soccer at East, continued his career at Archbishop Williams, playing at the NCAA college level, and ultimately coaching Division 1 NCAA college soccer, most recently at Xavier. Additionally, he is a father of a youth athlete, and has the benefit of seeing things from both sidelines. His experience and knowledge is something we should all appreciate, and I am very thankful that he gave up his time to help us out with this endeavor.
As many of you know, watching local, travel and club games, there is a major referee shortage across the country, and Massachusetts is no different. In our organization alone here in Braintree, we had multiple young referees, aged 11-14, and another few referees, aged 14-adult, quit over the last year because of the abuse they take from parents, other spectators, players and coaches, and this simply needs to stop. Obviously, this is not an issue in our Kindergarten and First grade divisions, where the coaches and players work in unison to learn the game and improve their skills, and we love the cheering and admiration of players, coaches and parents. Unfortunately, as our players get older, and progress to 2nd grade, all the way through High School, we see the passion of parents and players alike, and though we appreciate the love of the game, the negativity that can often be thrown in the direction of our referees gets to be too much. With your help, we can make the upcoming 2026 Fall season one to remember, and an amazing experience for everyone involved.
Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you all soon!
-The Braintree Youth Soccer Executive Board-