The mum of a teenage referee has said young people are being bullied out of the role by parents shouting abuse from the sidelines.

Bertie Glaister, 16, who lives near Carlisle, said he often had to deal with "aggressive adults" who disagreed with decisions he made while refereeing for the Cumberland FA.

His mum Becky posted on Facebook about an incident at the weekend where she said a parent "accosted him", with thousands of people reacting to it. "I've seen lads his age and older being reduced to tears," she said.

The Cumberland FA, which supports football from grassroots to competitive play across Cumbria, said there was currently a shortage of referees in the county.

"I have a couple of mates who've stepped away from it because of the hassle you get," Bertie said.

Becky Glaister said if people believed decisions made by a referee genuinely needed challenging, there were appropriate channels to follow, rather than shout abuse.

She said: "It frustrates me and makes me really sad for the amount of kids being bullied out of refereeing because of other people's conduct."

Referee development officer with the Cumberland FA Scott Taylor said the numbers of referees dropped from 290 last season to 210 this season.

"Some are because of abuse issues and non-enjoyment of refereeing but others simply want to make more money," he said.

He added the Cumberland FA provided young referees with support but he said coaches should be taking responsibility for bad behaviour on the side lines.

In July the International Football Association Board and the FA introduced changes to the Laws of the Game covering player welfare and misconduct.

One of them is cooling off periods which allow referees to stop the game and address bad behaviour.

Becky Glaister said: "Some parents think it's all about the game, progression, the results but it teaches valuable life lessons.

"There's so much more to learn from being part of a football team."

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