I started refereeing in my home county of Kent when I was fourteen. Starting with school games before doing Youth club matches and developing with the local society to do my first senior game. Now with G&D refs, I have risen three levels in a year and am really enjoying the challenge of Gloucestershire rugby. I am also a referee scholar at the University of Gloucestershire and the links between the university and the society is brilliant to maximise opportunities for development and higher level matches and tournaments.

As the referee, you are fundamental to the game and it cannot go ahead without you. You also get to visit many different places and rugby clubs, where you are warmly welcomed and meet loads of like-minded people along the way. I am also a coach and being a referee significantly assists me in my coaching. It allows me to coach to the law and give my team that extra edge when it comes to game day.

Refereeing has given me the ability to look back on a situation and review it for the future. This is something that I do for all my games – to try and improve for future matches. I have also grown a refereeing circle of friends with whom I can compare experiences and talk to about rugby but who are also friends for life. It is from these friends and connections that I was lucky enough to Assistant Referee a game at Twickenham stadium, certainly my refereeing highlight to date!

It acted as another string to my bow when I came to apply for the RFU National Youth Council. Not only was it another part of rugby that I was involved in, but the connections that I had made through refereeing helped me to build and create further relationships in new areas of the game.