Over the past few years, there has been a notable decline of sports referees in Canada.
The disruption of the Covid Pandemic was one major factor. In 2019, for example, Ontario Soccer boasted nearly 9,000 registered refs. By the end of 2021, however, that figure had plunged more than 60%, leaving the association with barely 3,000 refs.
Hockey Canada reported a similar drop in officials pre-versus-post pandemic, leading to games being cancelled during the 2022 season due to a lack of refs.
Referees typically endure low compensation despite working in high-pressure environments that often includes forms of abuse. Indeed, in 2023, Ontario Soccer CEO Johnny Misley described rising sport hostility as a “crisis” that was leading to a “staggering decline” of officials, citing incidents such a 16-year-old female referee being physically assaulted and a player chasing a referee with a machete after being ejected from a game.
Recognizing this dark trend, entrepreneurs from Calgary launched a startup with an aim to improve the refereeing system for everybody.
Elements Athletics launched in 2023 with an idea to empower organizations, associations, leagues, and universities with automated tools that help manage sideline behaviour, referee safety, and player accountability.
The Alberta startup’s flagship product is MIC’D Up. A breathable armband equipped with a lightweight mic captures real-time audio directly from the field or court, while artificially intelligent software automatically scans game audio for threatening language, aggressive tones, and verbal abuse.
“Whether it’s a weekend tournament, rec league, school season, or intramural match, our system is designed to be lightweight, reliable, and ready for real-time accountability,” the company states online.
After each game, Mic’d Up delivers an easy-to-read report summarizing detected incidents, categorized by severity and time. When serious incidents are detected, Mic’d Up instantly sends email alerts to league officials or designated contacts.
All audio and data captured through Mic’d Up is stored securely using encrypted cloud-based storage, according to the Canadian firm, and is never sold or shared. Only authorized members have access to game recordings and analysis reports.
Pricing starts at roughly $1 per game. Among the early adopters of Elements’ tech is the University of Calgary.
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