Date:         Fri, 13 Oct 2000 08:44:41 -0400
Reply-To:     Discussion of Topics for Soccer Referees <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       Discussion of Topics for Soccer Referees <[log in to unmask]>
From:         Jim Mantle <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Police - higher authority than the CR?
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> As far as any ideas of telling the police to leave unless they have a
> warrant, forget it.  Mr. McQueen may think this is a good idea at the
indoor
> facility he runs, but we are talking here about an outdoor youth game.
> Unless Mr. or Ms. Referee happens to own or manage the field personally,
you
> have no authority to tell the police to leave.  Most games, around here at
> least, are played in public parks or on school grounds.  You don't speak
for
> the school district or park district and can't issue orders on their
behalf.

In Ontario we had a situation in a baseball game, in a city-owned field,
where a parent was truly obnoxious. The Game was stopped, the parent was
asked to leave, her refused, the police were called and the parent was
(eventually) forcibly removed.

It went to court, and as part of the decision the judge concluded that,
since we had a permit for the use of the field, and because that permit
implied "fair usage" or "enjoyable use" or some such thing, that we did have
the right to kick the non-enjoyable presence out of a public park. And
further, since we were playing an organized sport under the control of a
recognized official, and because that official was "the representative of
baseball", it was the umpire's authority to have the individual removed from
a public park.

The parallels to soccer are obvious.

But I'm sure it doesn't go as far as having the police, in an active
investigation, removed.