MORE than 300 match officials have dropped out of the game over the last three seasons in Hampshire.

There were 1,669 referees registered by Hampshire FA during the 2006/07 season.

According to the county FA’s latest figures, that number has dropped by 308 – an 18.5 per cent fall – to 1,361 referees currently registered for this season.

Hampshire FA chief executive Neil Cassar has said the falling number of registered officials could have been one of the contributing factors to improved figures on player behaviour, as reported in the Daily Echo earlier this month.

The thinking behind that theory is, that without a Hampshire FA official it is the responsibility of the home side to provide someone to referee a game.

And some club officials, who end up taking charge of games, may not process all the necessary paperwork related to any yellow or red cards as well as any other disciplinary matters, leading to potentially distorted figures.

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