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Ontario Soccer Raising Awareness of Match Official Abuse through Media

By Staff, 06/12/23, 9:15AM EDT

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This week, Ontario Soccer worked with various news stations to produce media stories to raise the awareness of the growing issue of Match Official abuse, led by the body camera pilot project we are launching this summer.

The campaign, which is still ongoing, has successfully put the issue in the mainstream media spotlight, thanks to coverage at the local, provincial and national levels with print, radio and television segments. News outlets who covered the story include: the Toronto Star, CBC Ottawa, national CBC programs, CTV Toronto, national CTV programs, CP24 and much more.

A listing of the current coverage is available below:

We would like to thank all the reporters, producers, editors and news outlets who covered the story and helped us bring the issue to the mass audiences. We would also like to thank all those who provided feedback through the many media interviews and online discussions on social media and elsewhere. Guests - including Match Officials in various sports, Ontario Soccer Districts and Ontario Soccer Clubs - often shared traumatic personal stories, that helped drive discussions and provide tangible examples on the subject.

We look forward to launching the body camera pilot in a few weeks, and will continue to work towards making the game of soccer in Ontario safe for all participants.