Minimum age to be a referee

[gwilw123]

I had my first senior game on Saturday at 17 years and 1 week old - I didn't find that I had any real problems.

 

[ROY T]

The youngest referee in my society is about 18 (last year at school) and to my knowledge only refs junior games and does'nt get adult games as yet.
I had'nt thought about this before but I suppose theres an arguement for -if they're good enough they're old enough--but why are they not actually playing the game and considering refereeing later or do they want to do both?

 

[Adam]

The youngest referee in my society is about 18 (last year at school) and to my knowledge only refs junior games and does'nt get adult games as yet.
I had'nt thought about this before but I suppose theres an arguement for -if they're good enough they're old enough--but why are they not actually playing the game and considering refereeing later or do they want to do both?

Because:

a) They're rubbish players.
b) Got an injury.
c) Found they have a talent for it.
d) Never got used to contact of rugby.
e) Find refereeing more enjoyable.

I don't see why refereeing is any different to playing, I mean it's just another position. Players have to learn how to play in their position, and referees likewise.

Manchester have a policy of waiting until 18 before giving you adult games and an official grade. I don't know what the policy in Yorkshire is.

 

[Dixie]

I think there may also be a cadre of people who love the game itself, but find the whole macho apres-game chest-beating and drinking culture unattractive. I can easily see why someone with a wall flower temperament might prefer the refereeing side of the game.

 

[crossref]

someone might lack the physical build / strength / skills to play first class rugby, but have the personality, authority and judgement to get right to the top refereeing.

if it was a choice of reffing a test match at Twickenham, or being player of the season for Old Tuftonians in London 3 South, I know what I'd choose.

 

[Dixie]

You get some good rugby in London 3 South. Not sure I'd find it such an easy choice.

 

[Simon Thomas]

Manchester have a policy of waiting until 18 before giving you adult games and an official grade. I don't know what the policy in Yorkshire is.

Policy in Hampshire that the Young Official referees a "year down" from 14 to 16 yrs old.

At 17 yrs old they are assessed by a senior assessor, having been looked after so far by an adviser/coach mentor.

A view is taken of ability, potential, character, parental & peer group support, maturity, etc and if good enough the YO will be offered some 3rd XV / 4th XV adult matches [level 12 or lower] (with mentor at all times present), rather than U17 or U18 and certainly not full Colts matches (L9 & higher).

At 18 they are absorbed into main Society, with a separate manager to handle liaison with them whilst at Uni - with them, with dual Society at Uni location, etc.

 

[PeterH]

We had a young lad a few years back who started at 15
By 18 he was L5
By 21 he is now on RFU elite panel

He wasn't held back at all - just pointed and fired really

 

[alexmcdonald]

Dear All

I took the ELRA Course in June of Last Year, I'm a 14 year old referee. I was a member of the local society but left to become a local club's junior fixture secretary. The RFU don't actually have any rules - apart from when you're refereeing older than you are. They do have a directive that when I referee starts, they referee 2 age groups below them and then it's up to their local society to how fast they move on, and so at the moment now I've done about 17 or 18 games, I am refereeing games my own age group - I have done one older and didn't have a problem but game management wise it's easier to stay your age and below.

Hope this helps,

Alex.

 

[Blackberry]

I turned up to assess a ref last year at Phoenix (L8), he was 16... and excellent. Three weeks later I reffd Phoenix mself, after the match they said "Good game ref..... but not as good as that kid you sent us last month". Sheez.

 

[Simon Thomas]

With his Society assessor, I watched a 17 year old Hampshire referee (who I am coaching and who is already involved with RFU Refs Dept development folks) last weekend do a L10 adult match - G's all through the assessor's reports and my only coaching notes involved tackler away / tackled player actions phases, set first line-outs using front man to mark a full metre gap, and dropping back to chariot from slow ball at scrums (he still plays at Colts level as a scrum half, so is automatically dropping for #8 pick and drive/pop pass :biggrin. He is accompanied at every adult match he does by an assessor / mentor. He is in his second full season.

We did the same with two guys previously who started at 14/15 and did age group below as normal, then at 17 did same age and some adult matches (always mentored). One (PTC of this Forum) moved to Cambridge (education) and then London and became a L5 Group Ref mid 20s. The other did club youth and schools matches until 16 then transferred to London where his dad is an active Society referee (they live on Hampshire / Surrey border, and he went to St Mary's College in Teddington for HE) , and they quickly developed him at 17 to adult matches - at 21 he was on London Group at L5.

As a SW Group Assessor I have watched three of the SW Group squad this year who are in their early 20s (products of Gloucester Uni Referee scholarship course & Chris White's Officials Academy), and all did the start at 14 and work through year below age group, adult matches at 17 process.

 

[spikeno10]

My son did his ELRA1&2 just after his 14th birthday and has taken regular mini and youth games since. He is now 16 and if not playing in our U17s will be found refereeing one of the other youth matches at home.
With the agreement of our seniors and their guests he has taken one friendly senior game (with two assessors present).
The feedback was all positive from the assessors and the players.
He has no issue with being young, most of the players involved believed him to be older than he is. At 6 foot 5 he is on the large size for 16.
He is also confident in charge of a match. I have seen him tell a rather rowdy coach that the next comment he hears will mean the individual watching the remainder of the game from the clubhouse. Result one rather red-faced and very quiet coach who apologised later.
It is more a case of can an individual manage the situation as apposed to how old they are.
As to the CRB thing our CWO insisted he was CRB checked once he passed the ELRA (at 14yrs old) this is a joke as there is no way of doing it but there.....

 

[crossref]

. At 6 foot 5 he is on the large size for 16..

at 6'5" he is on the large side for any age!

 

[Jacko]

(products of Gloucester Uni Referee scholarship course & Chris White's Officials Academy

Lol - good token effort at anonymity!

 

[didds]

Response from RFU:

Coach - same as above but 16+ for Level 1.

wheras we've been told its 18+ to get on a Level 1 course in England.

didds

 

[Simon Thomas]

Lol - good token effort at anonymity!

Jacko - public domain information ! And no referee names mentioned - btw all three are very capable, and I suspect one in particular could be joining you on Panel soon (a view shared by two of the National 3 SW DORs who are not usually easy to please, and well respected in the Game).

 

[Jenko]

We are running an ELRA at the club during half term that is being attended by 7 14 year olds, 7 15 year olds and 6 16 year olds (and 1 47 year old dad!)

 

[Beer Hunter]

My son is 13 and broke his collar bone at the end of August in his first contact session of the season. He was allowed to do his ELRA 1 & 2 despite his age and has done a few games at his school at Under 12 and 13 level. He found 13's were much easier than 12's because of hand off's.

The main problem seems to be that once qualified you can't get the games in as lots of schools don't play this term and at club level, leagues insist on experienced referees. Out of the 20 or so people who did the course only 2 or 3 have done any games which seems a shame as they were all raring to go at the end of the course.

That said the feed back from parents and coaches was that he was far more knowledgeable and fairer than they were used to having and was asked if he was prepared to do games for the visiting team. One coach almost choked when he went to shake his hand as he presumed he was the captain not the referee!

 

[Simon Thomas]

We are running an ELRA at the club during half term that is being attended by 7 14 year olds, 7 15 year olds and 6 16 year olds (and 1 47 year old dad!)

and very proud of you all the Alton Society Refs are. I was planning to come down and give Clare / Dave some stick :biggrin:

 

[JohnP]

Thats my understanding re attending L1 Coaching even the new course which has just changed.

It used to be 16 minimum but changed 2 yrs ago to 18. They will let 17 and 3/4 on to the course if its clear that the coach will be 18 by the time the season gets going