It follows the decision last November by officials in the Thames Valley Premier League to withdraw their services for a weekend in protest at a sequence of extreme incidents, including violence and threats.

Last month, the chairman of the Surrey Youth League wrote to parents, warning them that someone could be killed if behaviour continued to escalate out of control. He also threatened to withdraw referees for a week or even have volunteers walk away from the league completely.

Hackett has now written to FA chairman Greg Dyke to urge him to focus on the issue during the final weeks of his tenure.

Paul Cooper, the president of the Sheffield Referees’ Association, said that one vastly experienced referee in his 50s had been moved to tears this season after being “given hell” and prodded in the chest by players. “If it is getting to someone like him, something is not right,” he said.

Another Yorkshire referee, who is only 22, was subjected to a death threat on social media after being abused at the end of an under-18 game this month. Cooper, himself, has recently reported a match when he alleges that he was abused by a player and a spectator. “The player came into my face and said he would have me in the car park,” said Cooper.