Three grassroots football matches were postponed due to a shortage of referees.
It happened in the Centregreat Taunton and District Saturday Football League over the weekend, marking a sobering milestone.
Colin Hill, chairman of the league and a former top-flight referee, said: "For the last five years, our dedicated team of officers and mentors have done our best to stop today being a 'Groundhog Day' for the league.
"We have been, I believe, the one remaining junior league that has always had a full contingent of referees.
"At the weekend, we were forced to cancel three fixtures because of no availability.
"The one thing in our favour is that clubs in this league are the most versatile in Somerset.
"But is it a blip?
"I doubt it."
Mr Hill said: "The responsibility for referees, apart from league appointments, rests with the FA and their County FAs.
"Referees are effectively their employees, so they must bear the responsibility for this.
"Five years ago, I warned we were heading for serious problems, and nobody listened.
"Do they have the resources?
"Have they the trained manpower?
"Do they even think there is a problem?
"This needs to be answered before we accuse anyone directly."
He criticised what he sees as a "one size fits all" approach from football authorities.
He said: "Refereeing is not a sport; it is a religion, or even an incurable disease, and that has always been its saving grace.
"Destroy that by this incessant drive that 'one size fits all'—through Zoom meetings and the belief that structural systems can solve everything—and you find the downfall.
"Referees trust other referees.
"It’s a close community that is slowly being broken by people who fail to understand what makes referees want to go out week after week."
Despite the challenges, Mr Hill believes the problem can be fixed with better communication and support.
He said: "Is it solvable?
"Everything is solvable if you talk, listen, have serious communication and proper dialogue, alongside development plans and proper funding.
"That’s about everyone standing up, being counted, and more than anything, being honest and listening."
Share