Larry McCarthy aims 'for culture change' in the GAA

GAA president Larry McCarthy is aiming to change the culture of the organisation after a series of incidents in which referees have been physically abused blighted the association.

High-profile incidents of alleged assault in Roscommon and Wexford have put refereeing safety at the forefront of people's minds.

On Thursday, the GAA launched their latest Respect the Ref campaign, which is geared towards increasing support systems and promoting respect for match officials.

"What has happened in the last couple of weeks is absolutely and utterly unacceptable," said McCarthy.

"The respect for referees and working with referees and recruiting of referees has been part of the strategic plan since we launched it last week and this will give it an impetus to start."

The GAA will hold a national Respect the Referee Day across the weekend of 22nd and 23rd of October in an attempt to reinforce the message that the abuse of match officials will not be tolerated.

However, the abuse of match officials is not just a GAA problem, it is a societal issue. Trying to implement a cultural change in attitudes towards referees will take time.

"It is extremely difficult and it's a long, slow process of changing culture. It’s not going to be instantaneous.

"Supporting the referee, disciplinary processes, putting out the messages we’re going to be putting out next week are all part and parcel of it.

"But this is only a once-off. This is the start. We have to keep going and do it."

The inter-county scene this summer featured numerous instances of players being disciplined on the field of play by the referee before those decisions were eventually overturned by the Central Competitions Control Committee.

Clare's Rory Hayes and Peter Duggan and Galway’s Cianan