YOU CAN’T HAVE A GAME WITHOUT A REFEREE!
Rugby at all levels of the game needs referees. Whether its Internationals, club or school games or Vets sides you always need someone prepared to pick up the whistle and referee the game.
Within Berkshire referees for games come from a number of sources:
- The Berkshire Society of Rugby Union Referees, active since 1948, provides “Society” referees for most senior (men’s and women’s) and colts games in the County. We also have referees and Assistant Referees operating at National league level – so the breadth of experience is huge.
- In the 2018/19 season the Society’s 45 active referees covered over 600 games. For more information see www.bsrfur.co.uk
- CLUB REFEREES. Each club has volunteers who cover games within their own environment. Sometimes these are experienced referees looking to stay more closely involved in their club, and often it is newer volunteers looking after an age group on a Sunday morning. If you would like to join in contact your club!
- SCHOOL games are often covered by teachers – although most 1st XV team games will appoint a Society referee.
- YOUNG MATCH OFFICIALS. In 2018/19 40 young people received training in refereeing, with 5 going on to take the Adults refereeing qualification. They have been supporting both School and Club events throughout the County and the feedback received has been outstanding.
Society Activities
Society Training and Development
The Society holds monthly training meetings which cover a variety of topics. During this season, many of the sessions have been based on RFU approved resources (“CMOD’s”) enhanced by video analysis of our own referees at various levels. Any club referee is welcome to attend as part of their individual training – Reading RFC, third Tuesday of the month at 8pm.
For some years, all Society referees and Match Official Developers have been required to complete a World Rugby Laws exam and the RFU Headcase module at the start of every season. We continue to provide fitness support to our referees and have had mandatory testing for all Level 6 and 7 referees for several years. From next season all Level 8 referees will also have a compulsory YOYO target.
Society Objectives for 2019/2020
Aligning to RFRU headings, we see our main objectives as:
- ACTIVITY: broadening the recruitment of referees to targeted groups (including Young Match Officials, Female referees, club referees)
- CORE: reinforcing training provision to members at all levels, including use of CMODs, video footage, pre-season fitness programme, etc
- INNOVATION: use of technology to support refereeing (Eg: MOD comms, video analysis)
Berkshire County involvement in REFEREE DEVELOPMENT
Berkshire RFU support Referees coming into the game through various sources be it:
- Ex-players wishing to stay involved
- Parents of youth or senior players
- Teachers in School
- Referees moving into the area
- Referees from other sports wishing to experience what is a friendly and supportive environment
By working with the Berkshire Society of Rugby Football Union Referees and the RFU we work on strategies to support club activity and create a pathway for volunteers to join the Society and take responsibility to officiate formal league and cup matches.
To support club activity all Berkshire clubs with youth sections are provided with bespoke referee kits for use amongst its volunteer workforce. We also provide kit and support to young referees who express an interesting developing their match officiating skills.
In addition, we have invested in high-quality communication equipment that allows developing referees to be monitored from the touchline by experienced assessors/mentors. Vice Versa the trainee can also listen to the experienced match official as they ply their trade.
Are you interested?
Whether you are interested in becoming a full Society referee or a “club” referee for junior rugby, contact us and we will arrange for you to attend the RFU’s Level 1 (under 6-12) or Level 2 (under 13 to adult) courses that develop refereeing skills and understanding of the laws of the game to make your introduction to rugby refereeing as relaxed as possible.
We can also introduce you to the right people to get you games and help in your development.
Recent Honours
Referee of the Year 2019
(ltr) David Levy presenting to Julian Rainford
Resources
England Rugby website: The RFU has a section specifically targeted at supporting the recruitment and training of referees. https://www.englandrugby.com/participation/refereeing
World Rugby Officiating Website: World Rugby, the game’s governing body has an officiating web site where you can find a range of resources to support you and your club and/or Society referees in your officiating, from online learning about aspects of officiating to community forums and more http://officiating.worldrugby.org
World Rugby also has a Laws section on its website where anyone can test their knowledge of the laws of the game – think you know them? Do you know them? Find out at https://laws.worldrugby.org/?law=3
REFEREE.NET PODCAST (FOR ALL THINGS REFEREES)
Updated 26th Dec 2021
