One of the most unusual sights in football...

Flicking about on X/Twitter the other day, I saw a very unsual sight. It was the post shown below....

It is well documented that abuse of referees is a continuing problem and it does cause too many officials to just give up. Which it was why it was so good to see this post from Blackburn United, who play in the First Division of the East of Scotland League (Tier 7 of the Scottish game). Believe it or not, most referees make very few mistakes. Without them, we don't have a game. So, wouldn't it be great if they were given more recognition like this from the clubs who depend on them?

If your club has had a good match and is happy with the referee's performance, here's our suggestion. Copy Blackburn United and share a post on social media - tag the SFU too please - and let's get fans to, if not praise them, at least acknowledge their importance. That would be a good step along the road to getting more people into refereeing. And if you fancy finding out more about it, visit the SFA website and discover how to become a referee and where your local Association is - they'll be delighted to hear from you!

Alastair Blair, Operations Director, the SFU