Rugby Referees Society of New York – How it works

This document outlines how the RRSNY operates and briefly explains the process by which referees are graded and allocated games.

Joining – any person (able to keep pace with, and having some prior knowledge of, the game of rugby) may join the Society in order to referee rugby matches within the Metropolitan New York area.

Applicants with no experience of refereeing will normally be given a “D” grade (after they have refereed their first game) and be encouraged to watch some games, run touch, attend the next training class run by the Society before taking the field unsupervized.

Applicants with previous experience may be allocated a grade and games as per their grade (if received in writing) from another recognized Society in the US or overseas, but RRSNY reserves the right to regrade or allocate games according to the actual performance on the field.

Some qualified applicants (i.e. players who have refereed before) will probably be able to referee right away. However, they will not be considered for any promotion, nor will they be qualified to receive funds from Met NY, until they have passed at least Level 1 (see Training below).

Grading/promotion - there are approximately 10 levels of referee grade - D, C3, C2, C1, B3, B2, B1, A2, A1 (National Panel), and International Panel. Referees whose grade is between D and C2 can be moved progressively to a C1 (or down, if appropriate) by the Evaluation Committee of the RRSNY according to evaluated performance on the field and certification levels attained

Promotions normally take place at the end of the Spring and Fall seasons, and are determined by the Evaluation Committee (currently consists of Society President, T Tani; Head Referee Coach, TA Fitzpatrick; Director/Territorial Evaluator, P Simpson; Chairman Evaluation Committee, A Macneaney) together with input/reports from other senior referees and evaluators.

The process mostly takes into account coaching reports and full evaluations, as well as feedback from the local rugby community (to a limited degree). It is a general requirement that a referee should undertake 5 RRSNY assignments per season (10 per year) in order to maintain grade between D and C1 levels unless there are exceptional circumstances. Inactive referees are not eligible for promotion.

C1 is the highest “local” grade that can be assigned by the RRSNY.  To attain C1, however, the referee must get at least one evaluation at the C1 level outside the Met Union. A C1 referee is considered capable of handling most games in the Met Union.

C1 grade and above referees may only be promoted into or within the B Panel by gaining sufficient recognition and evaluations from out of North East Territorial or National evaluators. These referees require two above grade evaluations within a reasonable time-frame (probably not more than 12-18 months apart). As a result, gaining promotion is much more difficult and time-consuming as a number of outside exchanges/incoming out of Territory evaluators are needed.

It goes without saying that the more games you referee the more experience you gain, and the more chance you have of improving your performance. Improving one’s performance, not just getting a higher grade, should always be the primary goal for any referee. There is intense competition at the higher levels; fewer suitable games available; much finer distinctions between a competent referee performance and one meriting potential for promotion. The progression curve from D to A panel therefore is not a steady gradient but gets exponentially steeper as you move along. The commitment required in terms of time, fitness, willingness to travel etc also increases significantly as a referee progresses up the scale. It is understood that “serious” referees no longer play rugby. More is also demanded of B panel referees to help out with coaching, training etc. In short the more you put, in the more you get out!

Training - training sessions generally (though not always) take place at the beginning of Spring and Fall seasons and cover Refereeing (Levels 1, 2)  Touch-Judging (Levels 1, 2, 3); Referee Coaching; Referee Evaluating (Levels 1,2,3). Currently referees must take and pass Level 1 within one season (approximately) of starting their refereeing career or be unable to progress. Level 2 should be taken at the earliest opportunity. Referee Level 3 is for B panel referees only and is not given within MetNY. We have two certified trainers of referees (up to Level 2) TA Fitzpatrick and T Tani (who can also train evaluators). As with assignments, the certification process will determine grade maintenance and contributes towards promotion.

Assignments – games are allocated according to referee grade and game level, and are made by the President in conjunction with Chairman of Evaluation Committee, Mistress of Exchanges, Head Coach, and Senior Evaluator. Referee form and fitness; upcoming games and exchanges; other commitments/absences are all taken into account in order to attempt an equitable division of labour. The more commitment that a referee can give during the season increases the chance of them being allocated better games. For each assigned game that the Society President receives a game report from the officiating referee (see RRSNY website for form) a payment of $50 is made over and above gas and tolls expenses (paid by the club).

Occasionally referees will be “challenged” by a particular assignment.  At other times they will be given games at a lower level than they are capable of. It is recognised that there are not enough “good” games to go round and this does create frustration amongst all referees, however exchanges, tournaments and incoming tours assignments will be tailored to try to alleviate this frustration. Referee’s wishes are accommodated wherever possible and should be expressed on the Fall/Spring availability forms circulated in August and February by the President.

Exchanges – in order to give referees better games, wider experience, or even a change of scene, the Mistress of Exchange, G.Gavin is responsible for outgoing/incoming referee exchanges. These are for C2 referees upwards and fall into different categories:

-          those games where there are no evaluators present (for any suitably graded referee)

-          games where an evaluator is not a recognised National/Territorial evaluator (for any referee interested in being coached/evaluated)

-          games where a National/Territorial evaluator is present (for referees who are being tracked for promotion and where the game is part of that referee’s future development)

Touch-judging – an increasingly important part of game management is the “team of three” whereby a game is assigned a referee and two referee touch-judges. This is usually for the higher level games and tournament finals. Touch-judging is an important part of referee responsibility and should not be regarded as the poor relation of actually running the game in the middle. It is a good way for less experienced referees to be involved in higher level games and observe higher level referees.

Tournaments - we have many 1 and 2 day tournaments around the Met NY area in the season These are a good opportunity for referees to mix with other referees; seek coaching and advice and generally absorb others’ experiences for their own benefit.

Meetings – monthly meetings are held through the year and are open to ALL referees and evaluators irrespective of grade, experience or activity. This is another opportunity for referees to exchange ideas about the game and keep up to date with various developments around MetNY. The meetings are generally chaired by the Society President, or another senior member of the Society if the President is unavailable. Currently the meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at Harley Griffiths’ offices in the Chrysler Building (even if you don’t like meetings, they’re worth it just to see inside the Chrysler Building and then go for a beer round the corner at Fitzpatrick’s!)

Administration – RRSNY is a volunteer organization run by unpaid volunteers. There is always a need for individuals to take on responsibility  to help run the organization of the Society, either at an administrative or practical level. Don’t be backward in coming forward!

Posts and responsibilities of the Society are currently:

President/Treasurer – Tom Tani
Vice President – Noel Mara
Secretary/Quartermaster – Rob Dial
Match Secretary (assignments) – Lex Maccubbin
Treasurer – Steve Harty
Referee Representative – Joe Sweeney
Head Coach – TA Fitzpatrick
Chairman of Evaluation Committee – Andrew Macneaney
Mistress of Exchange – Grace Gavin
Senior Evaluator (Territorial) – Peter Simpson
Evaluators – Jem McDowall, Tom Tani, TA Fitzpatrick, Grace Gavin
Referee Coaches – Lex MacCubbin/Jem McDowall/Tom Tani/Rob Dial/Harley Griffiths/Noel Mara/Peter Simpson/Mike Edye
Web Coordinator – Chris Fix
Message Board master – Paul Bethe

Disclaimer - please bear in mind that none of the above is an exact science so there are no hard and fast timetables or schedules which can be adhered to when considering the progress of an individual referee. Equity for all is strived for, but not guaranteed. As my old grandpa used to say “No matter how hard you try, life is never fair. Get used to it”!