Taylah has the ‘spine’ to help tackle referee abuse
Published:09 March 2020
Chiropractic student and top-level football referee Taylah Scholefield is keen to endorse and promote a series of new initiatives aimed at stamping out abuse and dissent aimed at referees.
Between refereeing top-level state football games and instructing and assessing new officials, Taylah Scholefield needs to focus most attention on her Master of Clinical Chiropractic study with CQUniversity.
However, she is also keen to endorse and promote a series of new initiatives aimed at stamping out abuse and dissent aimed at referees.
"Football Queensland has rightly decided a change in culture is needed to stamp out the verbal abuse aimed at referees, both on and off the field," Taylah says.
“For our grassroots and youth leagues, Football Queensland have introduced a Sin Bin system where a yellow card for dissent towards any match official comes with an automatic 5-10 minutes out of the game.
"Along with the Sin Bin procedure, Football Queensland is looking after our first-year referees with the teal shirt program, which clearly identifies new referees who are still in the learning phase of their referee careers.
"They have also introduced a pink armband which clearly identifies all under-18 referees, who should be remembered as children first and referees second when being watched by spectators.
"These initiatives have been introduced to try to protect and identify our children in the much-loved game of football."
Taylah grew up in Dalby and initially studied at CQUniversity Mackay before transferring to CQUni Brisbane, where she now treats patients in a Student Clinic setting.
She is qualified to referee Queensland’s highest-level women’s competitions, and can also serve as an assistant referee for the state men’s competitions.
"I chose chiropractic as I have always had a love for the human body," Taylah says.
"I did my high school work experience at Dalby Chiropractic Clinic and, from the moment I started with Dan and Brett, I knew being a chiro was what I wanted to do.
"I love being in the CQUniversity Student Clinic because my peers and the supervisors strive to make me the best possible clinician I can be."
* CQUniversity Master of Clinical Chiropractic students treat members of the public five days a week from CQUni Health Clinics (contact 07 3023 4177).