Referee Grades
Grading and promotion
New members
Appointments System
Society Requirements
Training meetings
15-14
Level of Game: Probationer. Lowest Leagues
2nd XVs or Lower side Junior clubs
Course: Entry Level Referees Award
13-11
Level of Game: 1st XV Lower Leagues
Course: Society Referees Award
10-9
Level of Game: Any Junior game, Division 1 County Leagues
8
Level of Game: Any Junior game, Selected Senior matches, Division
League 4
7
Level of Game: Any Senior game to which Society appoints, Division
League 3
Course: Development Referee Award
6
Level of Game: Any Senior Game anywhere, Division League 2
5
Level of Game: Any Divisional Game anywhere, Selected National
League 3
Course: Touch Judge Examination
Fitness Examination
Foul Play Examination
Panel National Referees
Level of Game: Any Game in National Leagues
Grading and
promotion
The grading system shown under Levels and Grades is accepted by all
Referee Societies in England.
Gradings through the system are achieved by a combination of Club
report cards and Advisers/Coaches reports.
The passing of the relevant RFU courses is a gateway to progression
and promotion but not a guarantee. The on- and off-field
performance of the referee are the major factors in progression and
promotion.
A referee's performance is monitored by his Appointments Manager.
Regular meetings of the Appointments and Grading Policy Committee
ensure all referees receive the opportunity to reach the level of
game their potential merits.
The other means of obtaining information on the performance and
potential of a referee is by an adviser watching and reporting on
them. Advisers are usually experienced ex-referees, but may be
current senior referees. Advisers have a dual role: to assess the
referee's performance and, more importantly, to help guide the
referee to improve their performance.
New
members
Unless transferring from another Society, new members will be
graded at 15.
Those transferring from other Societies should ask the Society they
are leaving to confirm their grading to the Recruitment
Officer.
Appointments
System
Regional List
Each of the four Regional Appointments Managers looks after the
referees whom he appoints to clubs in their region. The regions are
not defined on clear geographic lines. The Regional Appointments
Manager appoints referees to games by means of a monthly
appointment list.
Central List
The Central List Appointments Manager appoints referees, normally
at B1 or B2 level or above, to games selected for their required
refereeing expertise.
Mid-week List
The Mid-week Appointments Manager appoints referees to all grades
of rugby played mid-week by Clubs, Schools, Colleges and
Universities, in membership with the Society. Appointments can be
irregular and notice of games can be short. Please note that if a
referee declares they is available for mid-week games, it is
assumed, within reason, to mean available on any day at any time.
So far as is possible, mid-week appointments are regionalised to
minimise travelling, although mid-week games tend to involve the
referee in a longer journey than at the weekend. One of the
advantages of mid-week refereeing is the opportunity to meet new
clubs and get better games than on a Saturday, thereby gaining more
experience, better match fitness and more chance of report
grades.
Society
Requirements
The Appointment Managers have an important, albeit difficult, role.
Each month they juggle all their referees to ensure every game is
covered by a referee of an appropriate standard. To meet this
obligation to Clubs, they require three things from their
referees:
Availability
Reliability
Communication
Availability
Referees should inform their Appointments Managers of their
unavailability as early as possible.
When on reserve, referees should endeavour to be available and
contactable until 12.30 p.m.on the day in question.
Reliability
Unless previously notified by the club, check confirmation with the
home club 48 hours before the match.
A referee should always turn up early, at least 45 minutes prior to
kick off. This entails checking travel routes and transport
availability and time-tables.
A referee should turn up with the proper kit and have suitable
alternatives available to cover any colour changes.
A referee should arrive alert and mentally fit for each game.
Finally, a good referee is prepared to go anywhere to do any game.
Every game needs a referee and no game should be beneath the
dignity of any referee.
Communication
An Appointments Manager communicates with his referees at least
once a month. New referees should make an effort to get to know the
Appointments Manager, talking to them at meetings and discussing
relative points of their games. Appointment Managers are a rare
breed, especially chosen for their ability to remain calm under
pressure.
A Referee can help maintain the Appointments Manager's sanity by
following some simple rules:
If it is necessary to contact an Appointments Manager, the
conversation should be as concise as possible - especially on a
Thursday or Friday evening.
Referees should ascertain times during which the Appointments
Manager can be contacted and make contact only during those
times.
Messages should be clear, concise and unambiguous.
Key communications should be made in writing, even if already
mentioned verbally.
Training
meetings
The Society holds monthly regional meetings and five central
meetings per season. These meetings fulfil two very important
functions. First, they are an opportunity for referees to have
informal discussions with their Regional Managers, Appointments
Managers, and Training Managers.
Secondly, and more importantly, the meetings are an essential part
of the Society's training and coaching programme. The Training,
Development and Recruitment Committee arrange a programme of events
for these meetings, which may take any of the following
formats:
- A guest speaker, who may be a coach, player or referee, talking
about a specific topic.
- A short lecture on an aspect of refereeing followed by
syndicate discussion. The emphasis at these occasions is on the art
of refereeing.
- A video on an aspect of the game followed by a question and
answer session with an expert panel.
Attendance at these meetings is important. They provide a lively
forum in which views are exchanged, interpretations discussed and
problems on experiences related with other referees at all levels
of the game. Any directives from the RFU are announced at the
meetings and valuable guidance is given by more experienced members
of the Society. Evidence suggests that referees who attend the
discussion meetings on a regular basis find them beneficial and
progress at a quicker rate than those who choose not to attend.