Football West is introducing a three-strike policy to support and protect our referees.
Excessive abuse towards match officials both on and off the field will be targeted under the policy.
Clubs will be held accountable for the behaviour of players, coaches, other club representatives and spectators to ensure the wellbeing and safety of referees is a priority.
The three-strike policy has been specifically designed to incrementally increase the consequences of excessive abuse, with each occasion marked with a strike.
Clubs that continually fail to manage incidences of referee abuse or deal with unacceptable behaviour will be punished under the policy, ranging from remediation and disciplinary penalties to club and player fines and points deductions.
In line with this policy, it is the responsibility of the home club to implement measures to deter abusive behaviour.
Each set of competition rules will list what constitutes a strike.
Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell said: “Football West acknowledges the majority of clubs, players and supporters do not cross the line in terms of referee abuse, but we cannot deny that there have been incidents on and off the pitch which are unacceptable.
“Football West will work with clubs to help put into practice measures which cut out abuse. However, it is the responsibility of clubs to ensure players, coaches and spectators behave accordingly.
“We need to retain our current referees and encourage others to come through the ranks, otherwise we will not have a game. To do that we must work together to provide a safe environment for match officials.”