Berkshire County RFU

During the recent bad weather, the occurrence of games cancelled at the last minute have increased considerably. This has had a major effect on The Berkshire Referee's Society. Whilst we accept that last minute cancellations will occur, this is extremely inconvenient to the appointed referee, especially if he/she has travelled a considerable distance, especially in the case of exchange appointments. The Referee's Society has previously issued a Liaison document to both clubs and referee's and for your information it cam be found at the end of this note. Please be sure you read and fully understand the correct protocol.

Our main issue is that clubs are very often aware that there is a pitch problem, either the day before or on the morning of the game and are not making the referee aware early on that there may be a pitch issue.

The Referee's Society charge £25 to any club where the referee arrives to discover that the game is cancelled, this will be enforced but this is not the major issue to us. The charge will also be implemented if the Referee is en route.

In the case of early cancellation the referee can possibly be directed to another game, or co-ordinate into a team of three to ensure he/she still has a game.

As a Society, we wish to work closely with the clubs to alleviate this problem and in an effort to remedy this, a section about pitch inspections has been added to the attached document. It must be emphasised that if required to carry out a pitch inspection, the Referee will only offer an opinion, it is up to the home club at a pre-arranged pitch inspection or by both Captains, if near to kick-off

However, if the match Referee is concerned about pitch safety, they may abandon the game at any time after it has started.

A few clubs have found it " funny" that referee's have travelled to find that the game was called off some hours previous. This is not acceptable.

The Referee's Society want to work closely with the Clubs, but this was be a two way operation.

Should you wish to discuss the matter further, please do not hesitate to call me.

Regards

Simon Bourne

Hon. Appointments Sec

BSRFUR

Club / School Referee Liaison Officer

· To act as the main point of Contact between the Club / School and the Berkshire Referees Society

· To notify the Hon. Appointments Secretary of Fixtures for the forthcoming Season

· To notify the Hon. Appointments Secretary of changes to this Fixture list, where possible, before the Monthly Appointments are Issued

· To contact all appointed Match Officials (Referee, Touch Judges, Referee Coach, Referee Adviser), where possible, at least 48 hours before kick-off and to keep them updated of any changes

· To notify the Re-appointments Secretary and any appointed Match Official, immediately of cancellations or additions/changes to the issued Monthly Appointments

BSRFUR Contacts

Hon Appointments Secretary / Junior Exchange Secretary –

Simon Bourne (T – 0208 275 9422 / M – 07759 644497)

Re-Appointments Secretary / Midweek Appointments –

Jeff Finlay (M – 07805 333925)

Exchange Secretary – David Levy (T – 01628 637781 / M – 07775 937914)

Grading Chairman – Mike Muston (T – 01189 721844 / M – 07860 598815)

Q & A

I have previously advised the Hon. Appointments Secretary and Received an Appointment Sheet with the Referees Contact Details

Please contact the Referee (and Adviser – if appointed) at least 48 hours before kick-off – detailing kick-off times, team colours and any other relevant information (road delays etc.). If there is the expectation that your game may be called off or subject to a pitch inspection, you must still make contact at least 48 hours before kick-off but advising of this possibility.

I have previously advised the Hon. Appointments Secretary and have not Received an Appointment Sheet with the Referees Contact Details

The Appointments are sent out by Email shortly around the 3^rd Tuesday of the preceding month. If you have not received your Email by the 4^th Tuesday, please contact the Hon. Appointments Secretary immediately.

I have previously advised the Hon. Appointments Secretary but Received an Appointment Sheet with No Appointed Referee

The Re-Appointments Secretary will endeavour to make an appointment 1-3 days before the game. If an appointment cannot be made, you will be notified by the Re-appointments Secretary.

Note – you are welcome to contact the Re-appointments Secretary earlier but no allocation will be made until 1-3 days before the game.

My Appointment Sheet shows that my Referee is ‘Exchange Appointment’ or ‘Federation Exchange’

Your appointment sheet will request you to ring either the Exchange Secretary or Junior Exchange Secretary. He will be able to give you contact details of your Referee. Please ensure you request this information at least 72 hours before kick-off.

There has been an addition or cancellation to our Fixture List

If you are aware of this amendment before the 3^rd Tuesday of the preceding month, please notify the Hon. Appointments Secretary immediately.

If this is after the 3^rd Tuesday of the preceding month, please notify the Re-appointments Secretary immediately (Point 3 refers thereafter).

In the case of a cancellation after the 3^rd Tuesday of the preceding month, you must also notify any appointed Referee and Adviser immediately (upon receipt of your appointment list).

My appointed Referee has advised me that he can no longer do the game

Please advise the Re-appointments Secretary immediately – who will endeavour to appoint a new Referee as soon (Point 3 refers thereafter)

Our Game has had to be cancelled shortly before kick-off

Please notify the Referee and any appointed Adviser immediately. If the Referee has travelled you will still be billed for the Appointment. Please also notify the Re-appointments Secretary immediately. Failure to make the above notifications will result in you being billed for the Appointment.

In an emergency, please contact (in priority order), the Re-appointments Secretary, Hon. Appointments Secretary or the Grading Chairman, using their mobile number.

Pitch Inspections

If there is a requirement for a pitch inspection, please be aware of the departure times of the away team and all match officials. If requested in advance to the Hon. Appointments Secretary, the Society will provide an official to carry out a pitch inspection, providing this is at least 4 hours before the scheduled kick-off time and has been requested to the Hon. Appointments Secretary at least 24 hours before kick-off. Do note however, the official will only provide an opinion. It is up to the home club to make any cancellation or postponement and to notify the match official and away team. Only the Referees mileage cost (@ 40p / mile) will be charged for an inspection.

I am going to be away for a period of time

It is essential that if you are going to be away for any period of time, the person delegated to cover for you is fully conversant with this communication protocol. You should also give due notice to the Hon. Appointments Secretary and Re-appointments Secretary, leaving full details of who to contact during your absence.

Club Referee Coordinators (CRefC)
Get involved, support your Club Referees, they need your help

Referees have a central role to play in the development of rugby. The old cliché “without the referee, there wouldn’t be a game” is as true as it ever was and it is also true that the better the referee, the more likely the players are to enjoy their game.

Across the Country there are many thousands of referees who are not Referee Society members, but who referee at their Clubs, some week in week out, others less frequently. They might be parents whose children are playing mini or youth rugby, Coaches of mini or junior teams or club members who referee their Clubs’ 3^rd or 4^th XVs on a Saturday afternoon.

We need to support these dedicated volunteers who are so much part of our game and to do this the RFU is asking all Clubs to find a Club Referee Coordinator or CRefC. The CRefC doesn’t have to be a referee himself, they just need to have an enthusiasm for the game and be able to help the referees contribute to the rugby at your Club.

What does a Club get out of this?

· Club Referees will receive the same information from the RFU Referee Department as Society Referees. Typically, this will include

a. Law changes

b. Clarification on Laws from the International Rugby Board (iRB)

c. Updates on game management techniques

d. Information on discipline

· Referee Society and RFU Trainers will be able to visit Clubs to deliver evening or weekend training sessions to Club Referees

· Club Referees will have updated information on all courses going on in their area. This will ensure opportunities to develop their refereeing skills and knowledge are not missed.

Who could be the CRefC?

Refereeing experience is not required to become a CRefC. You may be an existing volunteer at your club, perhaps a Club Volunteer Coordinator (CVC) or Club Coaching Coordinator (CCC) who is prepared to take on a little more responsibility; equally, you may be a new volunteer wanting to be more involved with your Club.

Key Components of the CRefC Role

Key Responsibilities	Summary	Who
To act as a point of contact for the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the local Referees’ Society	The CRefC will receive information from either the Referee Department at Twickenham or the local Referees’ Society and be able to pass it on to the club’s referees e.g. Law changes	· Any club volunteer or · Club Coaching Coordinator (CCC) or · Club Volunteer Coordinator (CVC)
To publicise and promote RFU awards, courses and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities to Club Referees	Details of any RFU courses and events will be available to the CRefC to pass on to the club’s referees. Society and RFU Trainers will be available to provide training and support
To establish and maintain accurate Club Referee membership information on the RFU database, Rugby First	The CRefC will take responsibility for ensuring that accurate information on Club Referees is maintained on Rugby First
To coordinate the establishment of a Club Referee Section	The CRefC can influence the establishment of a formal Referee Section at his/her club

CRefCs will be encouraged to do only as much as their time and/or expertise allows. There is no compulsion to fulfil all of the responsibilities listed above; indeed, in the first instance, we would like to recruit CRefCs who can simply pass on relevant information to their Club Referees in an efficient manner.

What Next?

To register the interest of your Club or for further information please contact: Nigel Cowley, the RFU Referee Development Manager (South) at nigelcowley@rfu.com or 07894 783378

Berkshire Referees Society website can be found on this link.