Guelph Soccer Club Launches Green Whistle Initiative

The Guelph Soccer Club is committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved with our sport, and that includes our match officials. It is our objective to try and curb the culture of official abuse by supporting our young officials.

The Guelph Soccer Club has had a significant number of older match officials retire in the past few years. Some have retired due to the verbal abuse they would receive during each match. Fortunately, we have been able to replace those officials with the next generation of match officials. Most of those new officials are under the age of 18 and they also play right here with Guelph Soccer.

Our officials under 18 years of age have received a green whistle and have been encouraged to start using it during their matches. The green whistle is to be a visual reminder to coaches, parents, and players that the match official is under the age of 18. It is paramount that we not only show respect to our opponents, but to the match officials as well.

On behalf of the Guelph Soccer Club, I ask for your support in creating a safe and respectful environment at each match. Cheer loud, and be proud, but remember…if the whistle is green, the official is under 18.

Sincerely,

David Frizzell
Executive Director