Moving Societies

[WombleRef]

Hi Everyone,

So - if I work super hard and get into Lancaster I will be obviously moving referee societies. How does this work normally? Is there a set process?

I think it will be to Manchester & District. What are they like as a society?

Also - when I do move up there - can I still maintain links with Suffolk so I can referee for them while I'm back (in September, Christmas etc)

Cheers,

WombleRef

 

[Simon Thomas]

Don't worry many Societies have either their members who go off to University or incoming Uni students who are already graded Society refs come to them.

The Societies co-operate with your appointments, development grading etc - we do similar for our members in Armed Forces Societies. Just communicate with both Societies, go to the Training Meetings and be active. We will co-ordinate between us.

When you go off to Uni (wherever it is after exam results), let your "home" Society know and ask them to give you a letter of introduction with your grading, development, etc.

You will start the season with the home Society, then late September go off to Uni, no doubt go to Freshers Fair and make contact with the rugby section. Make it clear you are a Society Referee and will be joining the local Society.

The Society will welcome you, have had students as members before, and may ask you to help with generating a Uni Refs Association,mor be a liaison person.

Remember Uni offers you a lot of other things to do, so don't just be a rugger buggy. And go to the occasional lecture of course.

 

[OB..]

I think it will be to Manchester & District. What are they like as a society?

Our current Training Officer is a former Chairman of the Manchester & District Society. Aeons ago we played in the same team locally, then he went to Manchester University and stayed up there. Eventually he decided to come home and while he was in the throes of moving house, he spent a season or two refereeing with both societies on an ad hoc rota basis. Both the societies were happy with the arrangement. M&D sound like a good bunch.

 

[Daftmedic]

So the red rose county doesn't have a society?

 

[Bunniksider]

Hi WombleRef, yes Manchester & district (Madrefs) will be your society if based in Lancaster. though you will be right at the northerly boundary of the society and will need transport if intending to get around. Vale of Lune and Lancaster Uni are about 60 miles each way for me based in Stockport (centralish part of society) and then I can travel 30 miles or so south to Crewe or Sandbach.

What are the society like? Can't give you an objective view as it is the only society I have been a member of but I have just been promoted to L7 and now have a coach so I am very happy with how things are progressing on a personal level. I will say that the guy who mentors and co-ordinates the lower levels (9-11) is a fantastic chap and has been very helpful to me.

Simon Thomas explains transfer procedure perfectly so won't add anything.

OB nice to hear that GC is carrying on back home. He chaired the society for a number of years and also lead some good training sessions. I think that training was his profession up here.

WombleRef if I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to send me a pm and when you move up here make yourself known and I'll get you a pint.

Mark

 

[WombleRef]

Simon - thanks for how it works. I will give a gentle nudge at the training meeting tonight which incidentally I believe will be my last one before I bugger off to university.
Just to check - which Society is Chester under? (my insurance)

So the red rose county doesn't have a society?

No it doesn't - it's either Manchester & District or Cumbria.. it does seem a little silly - surely Lancashire is big enough to carry its own referee's society.

Bunniksider - What is the set up like? Is it similar to London in that it is split up into different areas or is it just one big area.

I know that living in the centralish part of Suffolk's appointing range I'm about a 60 mile round trip to the furthest clubs e.g Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft & Yarmouth. Even those in deepest darkest Essex.

 

[Bunniksider]

...Just to check - which Society is Chester under? (my insurance)...

Chester fall under Liverpool Society. They have the west of Lancashire and the Wirral.

..No it doesn't - it's either Manchester & District or Cumbria.. it does seem a little silly - surely Lancashire is big enough to carry its own referee's society.

Bunniksider - What is the set up like? Is it similar to London in that it is split up into different areas or is it just one big area....

I'm not an expert on the admin but I assume as all the leagues are combined it makes sense to have a comined referees society. We sport the red rose of Lancashire and the wheatsheaf of Cheshire on our ties.

We have a general monthly meeting, at alternative venues around the society, and previously had North and South group meetings, though these have stopped recently in favour of a combined development forum for those who wish to attend. We also have at least one meeting a year with the Liverpool society as the Federation is a combined affair.

 

[OB..]

I'm not an expert on the admin but I assume as all the leagues are combined it makes sense to have a comined referees society.

We have two societies in Gloucestershire - Bristol, and Gloucester & District - but the RFU leagues are Gloucestershire wide.. Home team affiliation determines which society appoints to which games.

 

[Toby Warren]

We have two societies in Gloucestershire - Bristol, and Gloucester & District - but the RFU leagues are Gloucestershire wide.. Home team affiliation determines which society appoints to which games.

Similar in London. In the SE some clubs are Kent and some are London. There is even one ground that has 2 clubs playing from it one Kent and one London.

 

[crossref]

Similar in London. In the SE some clubs are Kent and some are London. There is even one ground that has 2 clubs playing from it one Kent and one London.

richmond and london scottish share a ground and are in Surrey and Middx CBs respectively.

For refs, both covered by london society though

 

[WombleRef]

Similar in London. In the SE some clubs are Kent and some are London. There is even one ground that has 2 clubs playing from it one Kent and one London.

I know in some cases we appoint the referees for 3rds and 4ths while other Societies appoint for the 1st XV of the same club... London doesn't have enough referee's to cover every 2nd, 3rd and 4th team in essex after the merger with Essex Referee's Society

 

[dave_clark]

nothing to do with the merger - there were uncovered games beforehand too.

 

[Simon Thomas]

Simon - thanks for how it works. I will give a gentle nudge at the training meeting tonight which incidentally I believe will be my last one before I bugger off ?........

I would not expect to get a request for a student's grading and reference letter until September for students going up in 2014 - you are a little premature.

At least wait for the April/May grading round.

Perhaps you should wait for the exams, see what grades you get, and confirmation that you are going to Lancaster.

Surely you will have a pre-season Society Training meeting in August, and what about April and May Training Meetings ?

 

[WombleRef]

I would not expect to get a request for a student's grading and reference letter until September for students going up in 2014 - you are a little premature.

At least wait for the April/May grading round.

Perhaps you should wait for the exams, see what grades you get, and confirmation that you are going to Lancaster.

Surely you will have a pre-season Society Training meeting in August, and what about April and May Training Meetings ?

We don't. We've cut back our Society training because there were issues with attendance. The one I was at last night - there were 10 active referees there and the rest were assessors out of our pool of about 50 referees who get appointed.

 

[Bunniksider]

We don't. We've cut back our Society training because there were issues with attendance. The one I was at last night - there were 10 active referees there and the rest were assessors out of our pool of about 50 referees who get appointed.

It's a little different in Manchester. At least 50 attend meetings regularly from 100+ active referees.

 

[Simon Thomas]

We don't. We've cut back our Society training because there were issues with attendance. The one I was at last night - there were 10 active referees there and the rest were assessors out of our pool of about 50 referees who get appointed.

Ouch - sounds like your Society needs some energy put into it. Do you have joint meets with Norfolk, or is there an Eastern Counties Federation meeting ? I saw Essex merged with London North at the start of the season, did that have an effect. Maybe Suffolk is too small to have the critical mass anymore ? Not good and you deserve more support.

We get 40-50 refs and match observers out of (80 active refs and 12 active MOs) and have meetings each month except June and July.

 

[Daftmedic]

It's got energy although a lot of us are averaging 4 games in a 7 day period. Although that has gone up somewhat with schools competitions hitting semi/final stages. I've only missed 1 training session due to the fact I did a sober stuntmans demonstration down my stairs and fractured my ribs in 4 seperate places. Thankfully no matches missed as we had a period of inclement weather and I'm back with my lightning pace and quick Witt.

 

[WombleRef]

Ouch - sounds like your Society needs some energy put into it. Do you have joint meets with Norfolk, or is there an Eastern Counties Federation meeting ? I saw Essex merged with London North at the start of the season, did that have an effect. Maybe Suffolk is too small to have the critical mass anymore ? Not good and you deserve more support.

We get 40-50 refs and match observers out of (80 active refs and 12 active MOs) and have meetings each month except June and July.

We don't do any joint meetings. There is probably an EC Federation meeting but I certainly haven't been invited to it.

I would say we are still quite a good society though - we certainly don't struggle too badly with getting appointments. Espeically when the Suffolk Schools CB decide to ask for referee's 5 days before a fixture... *cough*

Training Meetings don't get attended because in my eyes alot of the time they decend into the more experienced assessor's having a 'debate' over an issue/scenario by delving deep within the law books and arguing.

Admittedly these debates tend to confuse me because to be honest they go on for 5 or so minutes and by the end I've forgotten what the orginial point was.

I really like our training officer and when he isn't interrupted by the experienced assessors I get the point and I've learnt alot from him this year. Last nights session for example was superb.

The number of meetings (perhaps excluding a pre-season and September one) suits me - as once I get into March and April I can't afford to give away too many evenings to training meetings - I need to use them to study in.