At the 21st AGM of the OSRA on December 14th, 1980 in Bowmanville, enraged, battered and provoked members made another positive move to protect the Ontario referee from the continuing problem of vicious assaults by cowardly players and fans against game officials. The following resolution was passed unanimously by the members of the eighteen (18) Branches in attendance:
"WHEREAS the referee assault problem in Ontario continues unabated;
AND WHEREAS many OSRA members who have been assaulted in recent years in their capacities as game officials have sustained very serious injuries;
AND WHEREAS the OSRA, in the light of the inadequacy and ineffectiveness of the measures adopted by the soccer authorities to deal with the referee assault problem in Ontario, is committed to protect its members.
BE IT RESOLVED that when an OSRA member reports that he/she has been assaulted, the member's Branch is empowered to advise all OSRA members, through Branch Secretaries, not to provide service to that team and/or club until such time that the member's Branch is satisfied that adequate protection for all referees is being provided by the league, team and/or club."
The motion, which is known as the Bowmanville Resolution, was introduced by the Ottawa Branch and was supported by the Hamilton Branch. Ironically, both of these Branches had experimented with the policy during the 1980 season and had found it to be efficacious.
The Bownmanville Resolution was deliberately written in a way which would provide Branches with the flexibility needed to apply it. Thus, it is the Branches, not the OSRA Executive, which will determine what consitutes adequacy of police protection or who is to be categorized as an inveterate referee beater and/or intimidator. This, of course, is as it should be, for no one knows better than Branch Executives the conditions that exist in their respective areas.
Each Branch will have the full support of the entire OSRA membership whenever the Bownmanville Resolution is applied.
