I RESIGN. Enough is enough. The torrent of abuse has occurred 100 too many times.

If there are no official referees for my sons' football matches, I reluctantly agreed to be the unofficial referee. There are very few of us who know the rules. And, without a referee, the kids cannot play. But no more.

The parents are the problem. On the sidelines, they suspend all courtesy and become ill-tempered John McEnroes and Damir Dokics.

The latest episode was not a World Cup qualifier. It was a tense under 12, division 5 game. In the second half, one player from the home team jinked through the defence and scored. I saw the linesman, a parent from the visiting team, waving his flag furiously. I ran over. "Offside," he barked, I inquired: "Which player?" Clearly very angry, he shouted: "I don't know; several of them." I tried to calm him: "It is just that the rules say to be offside the player must be involved with active play …" With that, he stormed off. Nobody was willing to replace the linesman. The visiting team's parents were incensed. The game finished with bad blood on both sides. It was a shame because the game was a cracker.

In another under 15, division 1 game, I watched as a parent-unofficial referee supplied by the home club was yelled at and called a cheat by visiting parents. The disputed incident happened within five metres of the referee and about 75 metres from the irate parents. They could not have seen whether the foul occurred inside or outside the box. An official who intervened became embroiled with the madding crowd.

Similar events must happen regularly all over this cranky nation. Among all the ill-will, the kids quickly learn the referee, whether official or not, needs to be told loudly and publicly he is an idiot, or a cheat, and that he should bring his guide dog next time. Children need not read newspapers articles about the latest elite athlete to commit some drunken atrocity. Their role models are right there, yelling, on the sideline every weekend.

Parents are missing the best thing. Often brilliant play passes without applause or comment from the sidelines. Parents are preoccupied, looking for the next refereeing blunder. It will not be mine.

Come back Damir. You'll be right at home back here.

Readers are invited to send 450 words on what makes their blood boil to heckler@smh.com.au. Include your daytime phone details.