John Phillips
West Croft
Hebden Road
Haworth
Keighley
West Yorkshire
BD22 8RS
johnfphillips@talktalk.net
07506199268
19.12.2014
THE NEXT BEST THING TO PLAYING-BECOME A REFEREE
ELRA REFEREE COURSE 8TH AND 15TH MARCH-FREE TO FIRST 20 APPLICANTS
Following the success of last year’s offer we are once again offering to sponsor delegates willing to participate in an RFU run ELRA stage 2 course (subject to conditions see below). Last year’s course was very successful in that it was oversubscribed and generated new referees for both regular Saturday rugby and age grade rugby also. We have already identified candidates from last year’s course who we believe have the ability to progress through the grading levels and are giving full support to enable them to achieve their maximum potential. We are not however just looking for potential “high flyers” we are looking to encourage referees of all levels.
The course is an RFU product and the normal charge for this course is £50, using funding that is currently available to us this course will be FREE to the first 20 applicants. Now clearly with a responsibility to provide referees to clubs within West Yorkshire (From Huddersfield in the south through to North Ribblesdale and Wharfedale in the north) we as a Referees’ Society would hope that some of the candidates who attend this course will go on and join us. Indeed as clubs you should also have the same wish as rugby clubs are the only source of recruits. Have a look at YOUR club and ask see how many referees you ask for every week and how many you provide, then ask yourself “who fills the gap”. You might also be mindful that this season any club that enters teams in the Yorkshire Cup at under16 and below had to have 2 nominated refs who could do these games. I understand that next season the requirement is 4 refs per junior section.
Becoming a full member of the Referee’s Society is NOT a condition of this offer; there are however a couple of conditions:
We will require any candidates taking advantage of this FREE offer to, as minimum requirement, become “Associate” members of the Referees’ Society. What this means is that these delegates will be asked to complete an information document which will be basic contact information, including email address. This will enable us to ensure that these delegates are advised of Society training events each month and also receive law amendments and updates thereby ensuring that they are fully aware of law changes. This associate membership will not include any obligation to take fixtures or any commitment to attend meetings and will not involve any cost. You can of course register and participate in the course, and pay the course fee, without the benefit of a refund, if you do not wish to become a full or associate member of the referee’s society.
To protect this limited funding available for FREE places we will ask candidates (or their clubs, it is up to you) to initially pay for the course, when booking, and this payment will be refunded on completion of the course, and on receipt of contact information (as above).
As a rugby community it is important that we continue to develop referees for all levels of our great game, whether we are talking about age grade or adult rugby, for both men and ladies. As a Referees’ Society we work very hard to train and retain our members however as a rugby community YOU need to see new referees taking up the whistle and it is initiatives like this that we hope will give this a push. If you have players coming towards the end of their careers, players who may be prevented from continuing from playing by injury, players who are still playing but might be able to help with your older age grade games on a Sunday, indeed anyone within your club who wants to stay involved with the game but doesn’t know how then encourage them to have a go, what’s the worst that can happen? Whatever their age and experience there is a lot of enjoyment to be had from taking up the whistle and you, as clubs, need this to happen!
Hopefully this initiative will stimulate some interest however we are very aware that when we pick a date(s) for a course it will not suit everyone but don’t let this put you off. If you have suitable candidates that cannot attend on these dates let us know; and let us know when they would be available. I can’t guarantee that we will be able to offer FREE courses but we will try to arrange a course on a convenient date. Courses need to be over 2 days or 4 evenings. If your club has a number of interested members and you think we could do it at your venue talk to us we will work with you.
I would make a personal plea for you to ensure that your club membership, senior and age grade, is made aware of this offer and encourage your members to at least consider taking part in this course. If you have any questions about the contents of this letter please feel free to email me, at the email address or mobile number; above or contact Rodney Lowe on Rodney_lowe50@hotmail.co.uk (07454733172). Book onto the course by following this link: http://www.englandrugby.com/my-rugby/courses. Select course type “referee”, course type “refereeing the 15 a side game-level2”, and enter your postcode. You will then be given the option to apply for the course at “Woodhouse Grove School 8th and 15th March”, you will need to pay the course fee which will be re-funded to you on completion of the course (subject to the conditions detailed above).
Yours in Rugby
John Phillips
Chairman