Wrong sport but a total scary article

[James]

http://www.isportstimes.com/articles/4569/20121204/dutch-referee-killed-richard-nieuwenhuizen-brain-damage.htm

A soccer line judge in Holland was attacked by youth players after a game and subsequently died of injuries. The players have been arrested, but I heard on the radio (where I first heard about this) that the club was already on probation for having discipline problems.

As an official in Europe where we don't have law enforcement officers at our games, and some of the more aggressive elements of society join football teams here to allow them to enjoy the violence of the game, I have to admit, this action really makes me think. It could happen so easily here. An upset player swings at your head with a helmet. A group corner you in the hallway or shower after a game...  Just makes me shiver.

[TampaSteve]

Tell you what, if it's not school-related, if the players are older than 13, strongly consider mandating security for any contest.
If not the norm in GER, this article (and I'm sure you can find more) can be powerful when adding this requirement to next yr's contracts.

[Osric Pureheart]

The answer they'd get will probably go along the lines of "this was an isolated incident in another sport in another country, what bearing does it have on us?"  For me, the answer to the problem "officials' safety at the grass roots is in actual danger" is to do something about the culture around the sport that makes it acceptable for them to be in danger, not to start chucking security at them.

[HLinNC]

A group corner you in the hallway or shower after a game... 

I'm never going to put myself in that situation, particularly with youth, for more than just the fear of attack.  I'll shower at home, thank you very much.

Obviously, you face some cultural differences in attitude towards security over there thus you are forced to take on more initiative to keep you and your crew safe.

[maven]

For me, the answer to the problem "officials' safety at the grass roots is in actual danger" is to do something about the culture around the sport that makes it acceptable for them to be in danger, not to start chucking security at them.

I understand your point, but what would be wrong with doing both? The former solution is surely better for the long term, but the latter might be needed in the short term.

[Osric Pureheart]

Because it sends completely the wrong message to everybody involved; it quickly fosters an us-and-them mentality that isn't good for grass roots sport, which is fundamentally about a bunch of people coming together for a few hours to have fun. Yeah, we keep score and have a result at the end, but the most important thing is that people enjoy themselves.  Also, my picture of grass roots means that the teams don't have much money washing about and to hire trained security would be a completely disproportionate expense that'd make most of the teams very uneconomical very quickly.

Possibly our definitions of "grass roots" differ; for me, you're no longer at the grass roots once you need stands for the spectators (and so, a lot of HS ball in the USA is past grass roots).  That, more than anything else, changes the equation and makes it appropriate to have an overt security/stewarding presence, and to strictly enforce things like mandatory cooldown periods after the game ends.