Frith is a longtime player and elite-level soccer coach who combines first-hand experience with an evidence-based approach to supporting referee well-being and the long-term future of the sport. His research shows that widespread mistreatment leads to higher rates of depression and anxiety. Our interview is part of our Scholars in Education series.
Tell us about what brought you to doctoral studies.
I am returning to education after 13 years working in soccer. I currently hold a Canada Soccer “A” diploma. I have had the pleasure of working with Ontario Soccer in the high-performance department, as well as leading Canada Soccer’s Women’s Regional EXCEL program in Ontario for three years, before returning to academia to pursue a master’s in education.
The return to academia has energized me to pursue my PhD. The combination of my PhD studies and my full-time role returning to Ontario Soccer as the manager of player and coach development has strengthened my passion for bridging research and practice, allowing me to apply evidence-based approaches to athlete and coach development while contributing to the advancement of soccer in Canada.
What is your PhD project about?
The abuse of sporting officials is a tolerated intolerable that is justified as being a part of the game. When sporting officials were given a break during the pandemic, the rate of return when sport resumed was nominal. The main reason for leaving the role was the persistent abuse.
My research examines the effects of this abuse on the mental health of soccer referees in Canada. Drawing on data from more than 1,100 referees across Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, we found that abuse was both prevalent and psychologically harmful. Nearly all referees reported experiencing verbal abuse, while more than one-third reported experiencing physical abuse.
The findings demonstrated a significant association between abuse and symptoms of anxiety and depression, with more frequent exposure linked to poorer mental health outcomes. The results highlighted that there is an urgent need for evidence-informed policies and cultural change to better protect officials and improve referee retention across soccer in Canada.
What made you want to do this research?
I have a deep passion for sport, specifically soccer. I see the benefits that sport brings to communities. There have been considerable gains in sports safety for coaches and players, yet those who hold the toughest role are the referees. They play a significant role in facilitating games but often find themselves in abusive workplace environments. Referee retention is relatively low. Without them, we cannot play the game so many love.
Who might benefit from your work?
I hope my research findings can be used to shine a light on the difficulties referees face in their workplaces. My goal is to share these findings with sports policymakers, to support the development of mandates that protect referees and sporting officials across all sports. I also hope that sport organizations, at all levels in the game, take time to review the findings and use the information to raise awareness of their membership and encourage them to make proactive decisions to protect officials and give them grace as they grow in their role, as many players and coaches are doing simultaneously.
Has the global attention on this year’s FIFA World Cup prompted any new reflections on your research?
My interests in my PhD have been focused on what makes high-performance environments thrive, more specifically, looking at the psychological and socio-emotional factors that support the team’s performance.
I aim to examine how cohesion, trust and leadership emerge among athletes and coaching staff and how these factors contribute to both performance outcomes and overall team function. My goal is to contribute to identifying approaches that foster healthy, high-performance environments and support both performance excellence and athlete well-being
Why uOttawa?
The University of Ottawa is one of the top research schools in Canada — and having the privilege of learning from my current supervisor, Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt.
Having the opportunity to collaborate and learn alongside so many talented individuals in the Brain and Behaviour Lab and gain hands-on knowledge about Dr. Vaillancourt’s leading research was an exceptional opportunity. Her leadership style and personality complement what I need to be successful, and it has been an unforgettable experience.
Given my extensive history of coaching, I hope to contribute to uOttawa’s Education and Coaching BA program or our Teacher Education BEd program in the future through teaching and research.
About Brandon Frith
Brandon Frith is the author of Blowing the Whistle: Investigating the Psychological Consequences of Referee Abuse in Sport and co-author of “Abuse of soccer referees in Canada: Associations with anxiety and depression symptoms and demographic factors,” published in the journal Psychology of Violence. Outside of academia, Frith is a manager of player and coach development with Ontario Soccer, and served as assistant coach with Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt for the 2025 Canada Summer Games Ontario women’s soccer team.
