Referee Appointments Guide

A Guide for Clubs, Universities, Colleges and Schools

 

1. Purpose

The purpose of this guide is to ensure that we, the Society, provide you with the best possible service to your fixtures, of whatever type. This guide sets out what the respective responsibilities are for clubs, universities, colleges and schools (‘clubs etc.’) and for the Society.

2. Society Responsibilities

2.1 We endeavour to make referee appointments to every fixture that our subscribing clubs etc. notify to us, from Level 6 League fixtures through to Under 14 age grade rugby, where possible.  This also includes Cup rugby.

2.2 Our Appointments Policy is our guide to how this is done.  That policy follows RFU guidance on appointments.  Every society referee has a ‘grade’ and every fixture has a ‘level’.  Our job is to match the two, taking a range of factors into account.

2.3 All relevant information concerning appointments is on ‘Who’s the Ref? (WTR)’ the Society has three people responsible, one each for Saturday Appointments, Sunday Appointments and Midweek Appointments.

2.4. For some fixtures a ‘team of three’ will be appointed, i.e., a referee plus two ‘Assistant Referees’ (ARs), who have full powers of intervention, e.g., for foul play.  This is not the norm but is for Combination Cup games.  A referee might arrive with a fellow referee, usually someone quite new, who, as a part of his/her Induction, will run the touch for the appointed referee, to learn.  He/she has no powers of intervention.  The referee may also be accompanied by a ‘Performance Reviewer’, a Society member appointed to observe a referee and who writes a report for the benefit of the Society.  Some referees will be accompanied by their ‘coach’.

2.5. There are obligations on referees about availability and ‘crying off’ a fixture, as is the case for clubs etc. (see 3.5 below).

2.6 The referee is expected to complete a ‘Whistler’s Trophy’ form for each adult game.

3. Clubs etc. Responsibilities

3.1 Ensure the relevant Appointments Officer (www.gladref.co.uk/Appointments) has the up-to-date referee contact for the season.  In the case of Age-Grade rugby, we need one contact person per club etc. only.   We have found that dealing with different contacts per age is not conducive to efficient communication; some are excellent, some not so great!

3.2 Log all fixtures with the relevant Appointments person as soon as possible, preferably two weeks before the fixture and no later than 48 hours before.  The sooner the fixture is notified, the more likely an appointment can be made.  Please note that all RFU League games are automatically uploaded to WTR. However, any rescheduled League games will not automatically appear on WTR.

For Mini/Junior fixtures, if they are on GMS, they will automatically go to WTR, but contact the Appointments Secretary to confirm that it is on.

3.3 Contact the referee appointed as soon as possible in the week preceding the fixture.  The referee needs to know venue; opposition; nature of fixture (league, cup, pre-season, friendly etc.); k.o. time; colours of both teams (any clash must be resolved between the two teams, referees will merely apply RFU Regulations); any road works etc.  If there is no confirmation then the referee may not attend, or s/he may be reallocated to another fixture.

3.4 Keep the referee updated with any changes to these arrangements.

3.5 If the fixture is postponed or cancelled, the club etc. must notify the referee and relevant Appointments officer as soon as possible.  The Society is trying to meet all the demand for referees and the sooner the cancellation/postponement is notified, the more likely another club etc will get an appointed referee.

3.6 The club etc. must take responsibility for the behaviour of its players, coaches, officers, members and spectators before, during and after the game.  The RFU and GRFU have issued clear guidance to clubs etc. about these issues.  The Society has lost referees because of such behaviour; this serves no one’s interests, least of all clubs etc. who need society referees and the Society who struggle to cover every game every week. We must stress the majority of clubs etc. never pose problems, but a minority do the game no favours.  The Society remains grateful for the extensive good treatment of our members by clubs etc.

3.7 Please ensure that the referee is offered his/her travel expenses after the game.  Referees should use the form supplied by the Society for this purpose.  The referee is required to indicate their home postcode to verify each claim.  If the referee travels from outside the County border, then the mileage from home to the border is only 10p/mile. The mileage rate is set by the Society each season.  If you are paying by BACS, contact the referee in advance for details.  You do not need to pay expenses for an ‘Exchange’ referee.  If you have any concerns about the expense claimed, then please contact the Society Finance Manager (www.gladref.co.uk/About/Committee).

 

Contacts:  if you wish to discuss any aspect of this guide, please contact the relevant Appointments Officer (www.gladref.co.uk/Appointments) or the Vice Chairperson/Chair of Appointments (www.gladref.co.uk/About/Committee).

 

Many thanks for your continued support and cooperation in this important matter.

 

Checklist Summary for Clubs etc.

  1. Ensure club contact is known by Appointments Secretary (3.1)
  2. Ensure all fixtures are notified asap (3.2)
  3. Contact Referee asap, keep him/her up to date (3.3,3.4)
  4. Act early on postponed/cancelled games (3.5)
  5. Ensure club etc. responsibility for behaviour (3.6)
  6. Ensure expenses are offered (3.7)