County FA boss wants bad behaviour crackdown

Liam Rooney was appointed as chief executive of Derbyshire FA on 5 June

The new boss of the Derbyshire Football Association (FA) has said one of his main priorities is to reduce bad behaviour at grassroots matches.

Chief executive Liam Rooney said "we will work together and try different approaches" to tackle bad behaviour by players and parents.

This comes after national FA data showed there were 95 allegations of assaults and attempted assaults on referees in 2023-24, compared to 72 during the 2022-23 season.

Mr Rooney, who has also been a referee for the past eight years, said: "One of the reasons I got involved with this role is due to the levels of abuse [referees] were suffering and I wanted to go out there and see what's going on."

FA data also showed the number of serious case allegations, including those against players and match officials, rose 17% from 3,636 to 4,277.

However, while the number of FA charges brought following the allegations rose from 2,263 to 2,561, there was a 1% decrease in the number of proven serious cases.

Serious allegations relating to the assault and attempted assault of match officials in grassroots football in the 2023-24 season increased by 32% from 2022-23

The new chief executive said tackling poor behaviour was a "key priority" as well as "carrying on" the development of Derbyshire's leagues, clubs, referees and facilities.

Mr Rooney said: "We will not accept it, we need players, coaches and parents have a responsibility to behave.

"The only way we can overcome that barrier is to work together and try different approaches."

'I want to be out there'

Mr Rooney, who began his career with Derbyshire FA in 2008, said he was giving his "full focus" on his new role and would be stepping back from his refereeing duties.

"This will enable me to get out and speak to many leagues and clubs within Derbyshire", said Mr Rooney.

"I'm not a CEO that sits behind a desk, I want to be out there talking to everybody about what the challenges are, what the successes are and what people need from us as a county FA.

"My role might have changed but I'm not going to change" he said.

"I'm still going to be out there, I'm still going to have those relationships and listen to our volunteers, referees, players, parents and coaches and support them going forward."