Hundreds of players and coaches were banned last season for attacking or threatening referees.
Football Association disciplinary reports for the 2021-22 season highlight a catalogue of abuse against officials in youth and adult football.
The Merseyside Youth Football League has cancelled all fixtures for this weekend in protest at "multiple incidents of inappropriate and threatening behaviour" towards officials.
"We can't allow this toxic behavior to continue to get worse", it said.
The issue seems to be across the whole of the country and they decided to take a stance in postponing more than 70 games. There are over 18,000 clubs in England.
A referee was injured when he was attacked by a group of people while he was refereeing a football game in Wigan on Sunday.
Parents, managers, coaches are what it is. They bombard officials with a must-win attitude. They all want to be like Messi andRonaldo.
If any misdemeanours happen, a national rule has to be put in place to ban them for three or four weeks.
It is not possible to continue. There is going to be a national strike if it doesn't stop.
Last season's incidents ranged from 112 days to eight years, and came in a season where grassroots referees protested over the abuse they faced on the pitch.
The number of match officials has fallen due to an unacceptable level of physical and verbal abuse.
The referees and their assistants were kicked, punched, spat on, and threatened with violence by players, club officials, and spectators.
The referee was knocked to the ground by up to 20 people during the cup final between the two teams.
Children as young as 11 years old were involved in some of the cases.
Helen spoke to Radio 5 live about her son, who she said is at a high level in the game.
I've watched him progress through the ranks since he started refereeing.
I've just seen a lot of hate. The way he is being treated is repulsive. I cannot attend any of his games anymore.
Everybody is part of it. The people who make decisions are the parents, the players, and the managers. The pundits aren't backing the refs. They are setting a bad example.
Helen said her son had received death threats.
The president of the referees association says he has no sympathy for those who are banned because of match official abuse.
He said that referees are easy victims as they are often a team of one. Field would like to make punishments more severe.
Field thinks there needs to be a real recognition of partnership in the FA.
I would increase the bans against any abuse. It would be increased for spectators. Parents are the worst. Parents are not easy to deal with. It's easier to call a dog and duck and black horse game than it is to call an under 14s game. The parents are terrible.
There are over 30,000 qualified referees in England and 4,000 taking refereeing courses each year, according to the FA.
Field said the number has remained stable for decades but that there is a problem with officials leaving the game due to abuse.
He said that work commitments or wanting to spend more time with their family at weekends were typical reasons for people to leave the role.
The game has a problem despite abuse not being the sole reason for officials leaving the game. It is not just the abuse which is central to the issue, he said, but the lack of support referees have when it occurs from county FAs.
It might not be until Wednesday that the county FA picks up the phone and asks how are you after an assault.
First-hand accounts of attacks on referees are contained in many of the reports. Some examples are provided.
He hit me. He hit the side of my head when I turned my head. I had a small amount of swelling, but I was lucky to avoid the full impact. I wouldn't start the game until he left the area.
I sent him away after giving him a yellow. He hit me in the face.
He was shown a red card for threatening and abusive behavior. On the left side of my face, he punched me. He said he would meet me in the car park.
The player immediately aimed a punch at me, catching me on my jaw. He tried to hit me again, but his captain stopped him. The match was stopped at this point.
The FA brought in changes to the way cases are investigated.
All physical contact and assault cases on match officials are heard by a panel centrally appointed by the FA. The change was made to make sure that appropriate sanctions are applied.
The FA panel dealt with 822 cases up until the start of the season. Football was suspended for long periods because of Covid 19 measures.
Non-elite football was severely disrupted by two further national lockdowns after government restrictions brought an early end to the season in 2019.
The recommended sanction for physical contact is 182 days.
The minimum sanction for assaults is five years and the FA says that has happened.
Penalties and a requirement to attend an educational course can be added to the bans.
"All forms of abuse, whether on or off the pitch, are completely unacceptable and we will continue to do everything we can to stamp out this behavior from the game," an FA spokesman said.
Match officials play a crucial role in creating a safe and inclusive environment for all participants and The FA works very closely with our 50 County FAs around the country to recruit, retain, support and develop the referee workforce to service the game. Retention of all referees is a priority for The FA as part of their Respect campaign.
Last month the FA launched its 'Enough is Enough' campaign targeting bad behaviour in the grassroots game.
The FA said that there were too many examples of unacceptable behaviours last season.
The International Football Association Board looked at new initiatives for addressing a lack of respect for referees and their safety at a meeting last week.
Ifab says "detailed protocols would need to be drawn up before any potential trial could be conducted".
"We would like to see The FA take a tougher stance on qualifications and/or accreditations being removed from coaches and clubs for continued poor behavior."
It's not all down to The Football Association.
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