referees

Question
I HAVE PLAYED RUGBY FOR 24 YEARS AND 21 OF THOSE I PLAYED SCRUM HALF. I`M NOW INTERESTED IN BECOMING A REFEREE. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT DOING THIS ? WHAT OTHER SKILLS ARE NEEDED ? THANKYOU  

Answer
Peter,

The answer depends a bit on where you live.

In England, Wales and Scotland the referees generally belong to referee societies which are regionally based. The biggest is London Society of Referees, but there is also the Surrey Metropolitan Society, which overlaps. These Societies belong to the RFU (etc) via County RFU's, so London is part of Middlesex RFU, Surrey is part of Surrey RFU. So you would contact the Society nearest to you and they would look after you. There are a few non regional Societies, such as Britannia, who look after the Armed Services etc. It is different outside Britain, for example in France referees belong to a section of the FFR.

Most club secretaries get overwhelmed by begging letters and newsletter articles looking for refs, so your first port of call would be your rugby club secretary, who would have the relevant telephone numbers. The process of looking after referees is not, however, a club issue for obvious reasons, so the club secretary would only get involved to pass on a contact number. As is often said, the only essential player in rugby is the referee and it is an excellent way of staying in the game. If you have any trouble with getting a telephone number then let me know approximately where you live and I will find out for you. I have a complete list for England and some contact details for elsewhere.

Referees normally have to attend 2 - 3 training days / evenings. They will then be given their papers and asked to referee some non-senior games to get some experience. You will get assessed each game via a postcard handed to each captain, and once in a while an assessor watches one of your games and will coach you afterwards.

Since the requirements for referees are so enormous there aren't too many barriers or skill requirements, other than fitness. The English RFU has produced some booklets on the subject, which I guess (without checking!) are available from their web site (www.rfu.com)

Final point: the type of referee varies according to the type of game involved and you may wish to give that matter some thought. For example kids rugby needs strong leadership combined with equity. Middle levels game may be happy to do without some equity and referee bolshiness in favour of keeping the game alive and enjoyable. Women's rugby often requires a more coaching approach. Police / armed services games are all about leadership and equity is irrelevant! (OK I am probably exaggerating)

Let me know if you need anymore information / help.

Best wishes
Chris.