Lindale Soccer Association

Lindale Soccer Association and the North Texas Soccer Association’s Respect Our Referees (ROR) program aims to curb verbal and inappropriate behavior toward referees by empowering officials with clear protocols—such as “ask, tell, remove,” incident documentation, and reporting to the NTSSA Appeals & Disciplinary committee—and providing educational signage and resources for leagues, coaches, teams, parents, and referees to promote a safe, fair, and enjoyable match environment for all; while U.S. Soccer’s Respect the Call initiative (effective March 2025) strengthens its Referee Abuse Prevention Policy (Policy 531‑9) by defining escalating levels of both non‑physical and physical abuse toward referees and imposing progressive sanctions (ranging from multi‑game suspensions to potential lifetime bans), alongside toolkits and reporting guidance to support and protect match officials across youth and amateur level.