The evening was held at the OFA offices and saw 14 clubs in attendance, who were represented by various club members including captains, managers and secretary’s, as well as members of the OSL committee.  The evening was led by the OFA Respect Lead Officer Nigel Saverton and started by looking at the philosophy of the Respect programme and moved on into discussing refereeing and their relationship with players, coaches and spectators.  This item also included a simple quiz on the laws of the game which produced some surprising results with the assembled subsequently agreeing their knowledge of the laws was not quite as good as they had originally thought. 

Following a short refreshment break the group then focused the positivity of the Respect programme and it was really pleasing to hear stories where support and friendship had been shown by clubs and players to one another within the OSL and the positive effect this had on everyone’s enjoyment of the game.

Finally the group were asked to go away and make a positive impact on their colleagues and in their clubs in line with the Respect programme.

The evening was well received by those present and many said they would be making positive changes within their clubs and teams.  The OSL were very pleased with the outcomes and felt the commitment the clubs had shown to the Respect programme could only help to support the league in making football enjoyable for everyone - players, officials and spectators alike.

For more information on the Respect Programme and how it is working to make a positive impact at all levels of the game click here or for more information on Respect courses then please email nigel.saverton@oxfordshirefa.com