Assignments are made cooperatively by the President of the Society, the Area Coordinators, and the Chair of the Evaluations Committee. In practice, the President and the Boston Area Coordinator, together, make the assignments for the men's first division first side games. The Area Coordinators then assign all of the remaining games in their area that they are able to cover. However, the President is ultimately responsible for all assignments.
Most matches are held on Saturday. However, there are a good number of Sunday and mid-week games. Accepting these non-Saturday games when you are called upon will endear you to your Area Coordinator. Mid-week games usually involve college or high school sides, though touring sides occassionally play senior clubs on odd days.
Except at tournaments with shortened halves, you are not required to do more than one game in a day. Nevertheless, clubs may ask you to do a lower side game after your regular assignment. You are under no obligation to do so. However, feel free to go ahead and do some more running.
Assignments for the first side senior men's games are usually announced at the beginning of the season. Other matches may be assigned early or as late as several days before the match. During the regular season, you should always assume that you have an assigned match on Saturday. If you have not heard from a club by Tuesday night, you must call your area coordinator on Wednesday
Requests for particular assignments are not usually honored. However, if you are unable to travel far from home or during a particular time period on a given week, we will try to accommodate you. If you have gone everywhere you have been asked, without whining, we will try to meet the rare special request.
Depending on the current league structure, there will be between 10 and 20 top level games in New England in a season. We have 10 to 15 referees qualified to do these games. Clearly no individual referee can expect more than two such assignments in a season.
You may not accept requests from the clubs that have not come through the Society. For example, if your home club asks you to officiate at a great match between them and an overseas touring side on a Tuesday, you must decline and refer them to the Society. If you do the match, the club will be fined for violating NERFU regulations regarding touring sides, you will not be covered by Society insurance during the match, and if we find out about it you will be passed over when plums become available. If your club calls you to cover a mid-week preseason scrimmage with another local side, call your Area Coordinator for approval, which most likely be given; you will be covered under your insurance and we will not charge your club.
The range of games played in New England is enormous, running from Women's College B Side to Men's First Division A side. On occassion even an international test match is played here. It is not the case that the higher level matches are more enjoyable to referee (though some people seem to believe this). Each level and each game comes with its own challenges and pleasures. In some countries a referee will officiate at games of the same level throughout the season. That does not happen here. Referees are required to appear at games running from the easiest up to the highest level for which they are qualified, and occassionally one level above that.
Listed after each referee grade is the highest level of game they would normally see :
Grade D
women's college, all sidesGrade C3women's club, lower sides
men's college third division, all sides
men's college second division, lower sides
men's college first division, lower sides
men's college second division, first sideGrade C2women's club, first side
men's college first division, first side
men's second division, lower sides
high schoolGrade C1men's first division, lower sides
men's second division, first side
men's first division, first sideIn matches between unions, those involving select sides or visiting sides, or semifinal and final games of tournaments, higher grades are required.
For a detailed explanation of these grades see Local Society Grades.Generally as one goes down this list, the speed of the game and the level of aggression goes up (or the level of sportsmanship goes down). For reasons involving safety and minors, we attempt to assign seasoned referees to high school matches. Womens's senior games are listed before some men's college games because the women show better sportmanship and more honor. Since New England has many B-panel referees, usually games between the top first division teams are assigned to referees of grade B3 and above. There may be many games that are above your head; however, regardless of your grade, there are are no games below you. A referee unwilling to go out and enjoy a women's college game (or two) will not be assigned to men's senior games.For an idea of how many referees are at each grade, see Grade Distribution.
The ERRR may appoint referees with grades of B3 and above at their pleasure and whim. The ERRR also appoints lower graded referees when they have been recommended for an exchange by the Society. They do not always notify the Society when they appoint one of our referees to a match. When you are appointed to a match by the ERRR (or USARFU) and are able to accept, notify your Area Coordinator immediately; do not assume they know. You may also be appointed to a match outside of New England through a bilateral exchange with another society. These assignments are made by the President; again it is best to advise your Area Coordinator. A willingness to travel is required to move above or remain above C1, but will not affect the quality of games assigned to a referee within New England. If you are assigned an easy game the week prior to an appointment outside of New England, you may suggest to your Area Coordinator a change of assignment to a game comparable with the outside assignment. We try to make sure that referees get a good game before they go out and get another good game; it's just like Reagonomics.
Some assignments involve other than refereeing. For tournaments and post-season play, we often assign referees as touch judges. These are important assignments and should be taken seriously. If you are rated at B3 or above and a referee following you at the same venue is rated C1 or below, you are assigned to evaluate that referee.
Prepared by Mark Handel, 12/91.
Your local Area Coordinator is likely to be your most frequent contact with the Society. The Area Coordinators make most of the match assignments and usually communicate to you assignments made by the President. They are appointed by the President and by tradition are also usually Directors of the Society. Currently there are four Coordinators, one covering the Boston metropolitan area; one covering western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island; one covering Vermont and western New Hampshire; and one covering Maine and eastern New Hampshire. If you are near the boundary between two regions, pick the one that is more convenient for you.
Area Coordinators are almost always overworked and almost always frustrated by the shortage of referees. Do not irritate them unnecessarily. The Boston Area Coordinator spends more time being overworked, while the others spend more time being frustrated by the shortage of referees.
Before the season starts make sure that your Area Coordinator knows your availability (including Sundays, weekdays, and evenings), your fitness level, any travel problems you might have, how to contact you, the name of any club with which you are affiliated, and how aggressive a schedule you wish. Usually this is done with a form sent to you by the Society that you fill out and return. If you do not receive such a form, please send the required information to your Area Coordinator at least three weeks before the normal season starts. Keep your Area Coordinator advised of any changes in your status as the season progresses.
Clubs are required to contact you at least four days before an appointed match. During the regular season, assume that you have a match every Saturday. If you have not heard from any club by Wednesday morning with an appointment for the following Saturday, immediately call your Area Coordinator. Do not assume you do not have a game and do not just take the week off.
If you are assigned to a match outside of New England, such as through the ERRR or USARFU, notify your Area Coordinator immediately. Channels from above do not always do so. If you are injured or become unavailable for a given week, notify your Area Coordinator immediately. When the Coordinators find out that you are unavailable through a club to which you were assigned, rather than from you, it makes them cranky.
If a club cancels a match last minute, notify your Area Coordinator immediately. You will most likely be assigned to another match. Should you show up for a match that does not occur or kicks off more than forty-five minutes late, provide your Coordinator with all of the details. There are special travel compensation rules for these situations and the clubs may be fined.
Do not whine to your Area Coordinator. (You may whine to the President when your are unhappy with your Coordinator.) Usually, requests for specific matches are not honored. Exceptions are sometimes made for referees that are particularly cooperative. If you have been assigned to the same club for the third time in one season, you are assigned to a high school game the weekend before an ERRR appointment involving Washington and Old Blue, have had to travel more than one hundred miles for three weeks running, or similar type of problem, gently remind your Area Coordinator that a change of assignment may be appropriate.
Basically, communicate often with your Area Coordinator. It will lead to fewer problems for all concerned and result in you getting more of the games that you want.
Prepared by Mark Handel, 12/91.
There are two ways to referee outside of New England. First, on a regular basis, referees are exchanged between societies by formal arrangement and senior referees are assigned by the ERRR or USARFU. Second, referees while on personal or business travel can arrange for matches at their destinations. Outside matches assigned by the Society are usually some of the most difficult matches a referee will see. Evaluators are assigned to almost all of them. Self-arranged outside matches should be kept on the easy side. For both cases, your exemplary conduct is expected by us and a good time should be expected by you.
If you are assigned to a match outside of New England by the Society, the ERRR, or the USARFU, most of your travel and lodging expenses (but no meals) are usually covered. You should make sure of the financial arrangements before you leave or buy nonrefundable tickets. When making travel plans, it is best to schedule one's arrival the day or night before the match. A willingness to accept most of your assignments outside of New England is a requirement for moving into the grades of B3 and above. Please notify your Area Coordinator immediately upon accepting an outside assignment; do not assume that your Coordinator has been otherwise informed. These assignments are intended to be challenging. Make sure that you are physically and mentally prepared for them.
When travelling out of New England on one's own, it is often possible to arrange to referee a match almost anywhere in the world as long as there are games going on at your destination at that time of year. Permission to officiate outside of New England must be obtained from the President. This will keep your liability insurance in place and your direct rugby expenses tax deductible. The President will also usually be able to provide you with a contact in the referees society at your destination. You must provide your contact with your grade and contact information for our President so your bona fides can be confirmed. Be humble and request games lower than your qualifications allow at home. Once you have requested a game, accept anything offered unless logistics make that impossible or the game offered is above your head; do not shop for better games. Remember that you may have problems with running at altitude, loss of sleep and training while travelling, language problems, unfamiliarity with local quality of play, etc. This is a time to look good, not test your limits.
Should you have the misfortune of ejecting a player while officiating outside of New England, you must follow all of the local reporting requirements. In addition you must file a Disciplinary Report with the President of our Society.
When officiating outside of New England, you are serving as an ambassador of the Society and New England rugby in general. Behave well. Dress neatly. Stay relatively sober. Do not speak ill of anyone in either your host or home unions. Especially if you are outside of the United States, be sensitive to local etiquette concerning hospitality. You will sometimes find your hosts excessively generous; do not mooch or overstay your welcome. You are bound to meet some delightful people and some very good referees; invite them to come visit us and be prepared to return their hospitality.
Prepared by Mark Handel, 8/92.