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                                      Referee Recruitment

The Somerset Referees’ Society constantly seeks to recruit new referees. To this end ELRA Courses are run at regular intervals by RFU trained coaches in and around the county.

If you wish to join the Society please contact the Recruitment Officer who will contact you and provide you with a list of course dates if needed.

There are further courses and examinations to help referees to improve and progress in their refereeing career throughout the year.

During a referee’s career he/she is watched by a team of advisors. They are there to help with development.

In addition any referee that shows particular aptitude, no matter what their present level is, will be invited to join a Development Squad in order to accelerate their progress.

However we try not to lose sight of the fact that referees do it for enjoyment, whatever their level of ability.

Why Referee?

There are a whole host of reasons why you might take up the whistle: to remain active in the sport following injury or retirement, to make new and lasting friends within the game, or to gain a sense of achievement by providing an invaluable service to players, coaches and spectators alike.

Whatever the reason, refereeing is challenging, rewarding and above all, can be great fun.

Getting Started

As a new referee, you are advised to undertake the Entry Level Referee Award (ELRA), a three-stage award which will provide you with the key tools to referee competently.

If you choose to join a regional referees society, then you will be required to complete all three stages of the ELRA. If you wish to remain within your own school, club or university, then you need only complete stages one and two. These cover the following aspects of refereeing:

• Management and control
• Problem solving
• Refereeing the key phases of the game
• Positioning and communication
• Laws of the game

Stages one and two focus on practical learning, giving you the opportunity to observe refereeing in practice and build confidence in your own skills on the field of play.

A calendar is available with details of ELRA courses running near you (PDF 78kB).

What Next?

why not contact our recruitment officer Jason Wallis for details of how to become a referee or to join Somerset referees society

Email:- jason@weetree.co.uk  

The RFU Refereeing Pathway diagram is a useful document to show potential progress of referees through the ranks.