New England Rugby Referees' Society

What the Referees expect from the Clubs

Last revised 3/1/2004

The mailing would include:

Club Responsibilities for Obtaining Referees

  1. Be a member in good standing of NERFU.

    The Referees Society is committed to assisting the Union in keeping all clubs in conformity with NERFU requirements.

  2. Be currently paid up in fees to the Referees Society.

    The Referees Society neither requests nor expects financial support from NERFU. The funding for referees' travel, training, administration, etc. is provided by the Referees Society. Charges are $75 per referee. If you host a tournament, your club is responsible for all referee fees, even if it is a Union event, unless other prior arrangements are made. If your club is in arrears with the Society, you will not get referees.

  3. Provide referees to the Society.

    First division clubs must supply at least three referees.

    Second division clubs must supply at least two referees.

    All other clubs must supply at least one referee.

  4. Notify the Society of your fixtures.

    Email a schedule and club contact list to the Referees Society before the start of each season. Deadlines are March 1 for the Spring, August 1 for the Fall, and at least one month in advance for Summer events. The mere fact that a game has been scheduled by the Union does NOT constitute a request for a referee; the host team must request the referee(s) and provide the assigned referee(s) with the information noted in (5). If you are planning to host a tournament, it is advisable to discuss your needs with your area coordinator before sending out invitations. Even if you don't have your full fixture list, send in the information that you do have and amend it later.

    Please format your email as described below:

  5. Contact the assigned referee(s).

    Referee(s) must be notified by the Tuesday before a Saturday game. If you are unable to contact the referee, notify the area coordinator. Comes Wednesday, if neither the referee nor your area coordinator have heard from your club, you will not have a referee. For midweek games, provide at least five days advance notice to the assigned referee(s).

    Provide the referee(s) with the following information:

  6. Properly prepare for the event.

    Have the pitch properly lined, roped off, and goal posts padded at least 30 minutes before kickoff. Medical kit (and attached person) should be there and ready. The Referees Society will report on whatever other requirements the Union requests.

FINANCES

Referee fees are $75/certified referee ($50 for uncertified) and referees are assigned for one match. If you can coax more than one game from your referee, there is no additional charge. There are financial consequences for cancellations with inadequate notification.

Teams are billed at the end of each season (Spring and Fall). Not having paid last season's bill puts your club at the bottom of the priority list for referees. Teams that owe money for previous seasons should attach payment in full to their request for referees. Contact the Society Treasurer Peter Berry if you have any questions.

TOURS and TOURNAMENTS

Teams hosting tournaments and incoming touring sides need to obtain approval from NERFU. Contact your Executive Director.

Unless you obtain NERFU approval, the Society will not supply referees. This season, NERFU will be strictly adhering to the their rule requiring tournament approval requests one month before the event, and the Society intends to back them up 100%-NO EXCEPTIONS. You must (1) request referees (in writing) and (2) apply for NERFU approval at least one month in advance. Both requirements must be met in order to obtain referees at tournaments or for touring sides.

NERFU rules prohibit teams from referee shopping on their own for touring sides. You must request a referee through the Society.

REFEREE CERTIFICATION

In the Spring of 1997, USARFU introduced the Level I Referee Certification. As of September 1, 1997, all matches that lead to a National Championship must have a certified referee. This applies to the following divisions: Club Men I & II, Club Women, College Men I & II, College Women I.

New England has certified all its active referees as well as several potential new referees. We continue to run referee schools throughout the off-season. All Club Teams are notified and invited to send interested potential referees. Teams that do not, may find themselves required to play at unusual times if they wish to have a referee.

REFEREE RECRUITMENT

As you are all no doubt painfully aware, we are constantly short of referees. As a result, we often have to make decisions regarding who gets and who does not. One of the factors we take into consideration is whether a team has put people into the refereeing system or not. Examine your conscience. How many players from your team have gone on to become referees? You get out of the system in proportion to what you put into it. Referees do not magically appear out of thin air. It takes time and effort to become a competent referee. A good place to start is by taking the Level I Course. This gives a good grounding in the basics, and answers many of the "How do I get started?" questions. Now is a good time to get people thinking about taking the course over the winter. PLEASE HELP. THE TEAMS ARE THE ONES WHO SUFFER WHEN WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH WILLING VOLUNTEERS.

WEB SITE and COMMUNICATIONS

This is the Referees' Society web site. You will find the most recent contact list, New England interpretations of recent Law changes, and other interesting tidbits here. Surf.

The Referees' Society is using e-mail almost exclusively. If your team does not have e-mail, then you are relying on your Division Director to forward mail to you. Very slow and unreliable. We strongly urge you to establish a permanent club e-mail address and check it frequently. Colleges must make sure they are getting communications over the summer or they will be most unhappy come the fall.

PRACTICES

As always, we are happy to send referees at no charge to practices to answer questions and discuss the Laws as they are applied in reality. Call your coordinator at least one week before the session you would like to schedule. Propose a couple of alternate dates.

REFEREES SOCIETY MEETINGS

All members of the rugby community are welcome at Society meetings. The Boston Area Referee Meetings are listed separately. For other areas, contact the appropriate area coordinator.

FIELD PREPARATION

Just like the last couple of seasons, if you don't have goal post pads and sideline ropes, you won't have a referee. These are safety issues and will not be overlooked.

HIGH SCHOOL SUPERVISION

For all High School matches, there must be a responsible adult to supervise each team. No adults mean no referee.

NERFU OFFICER ADDRESS FORM

Unfortunately, many teams neglect to inform NERFU when officers or addresses change. This makes communication (schedules, referees, CIPP requirements, AGM, etc.) difficult. If you have any doubt whether NERFU has your latest officer list, send this form to:

Ken Daly or fax: 617-969-0490

331 Cabot Street or e-mail: kdaly10362@aol.com

Newtonville MA 02160

Colleges should make sure that someone with responsibility will get mailings over the summer. Much of the planning for the fall happens during the summer. Mail that collects dust in a school Post Office Box until September doesn't do anyone much good.

REFEREE ABUSE

Backchat, heckling, and other forms other abuse have no part in Rugby. NERFU's new, improved Disciplinary Committee has shown that they are quite willing to impose fairly harsh suspensions for these offenses. Therefore, referees are becoming more willing to write reports on players, coaches, or administrators who become bothersome. Behavior is much improved-Thanks.

Feel free to call Peter Watson with any questions. His phone is 781-891-6218. This is for Rugby only and may be called at any time day or night. You may not like the answer, but he does return all calls.

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