‘Pathways’ for Officiating in Rugby Union Football

 

 

Introduction

 

The Coaching Department over the last 12 months has been undertaking a review of their current courses.  As a result they have produced a ‘coaching structure diagram’ which is shown opposite.

 

More recently the Referee Department has also been undertaking a similar review of its courses, qualifications and products for officiating.  This has been driven by a number of actions points for the Department that have been agreed with the Rugby Football Referees Union (RFRU).  These are as follows:

 

§            The development of a strategy for distinguishing the role of assessors and coaches and how this will be extended to all refereeing.

 

§            Raising awareness of the Department’s products and their intended uses.

 

§            A proposed revised version of the Levels of Matches and Levels of Referees.

 

To tackle these action points and, on the basis that plagiarism is the first principle of good design, the Referee Department has adapted the ‘coaching structure diagram’ to portray a series of Pathways through refereeing, touch judging, assessing and referee coaching.

 

A timescale will be published for the introduction of the Referee Department’s new, existing and replacement products:

 

 

 

 

The Pathways

 

Each of the following Pathways, refereeing, touch judging, assessing and referee coaching, indicates the level of operation in terms of entry at Foundation and Society level, working in Federation and Group Development squads, and then onto the National Panels and ultimately into Elite squads. The level of matches is also shown as well as the basis on which entry is gained at each level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horizontal Development

 

This final diagram indicates the need for the future development of products that will focus on the development of officials within a level. The previous four pathways focus on movement up through a hierarchical system to the top of the game – vertical development.  However, it is necessary to ensure that officiating development also takes place within a level – horizontal development.  The diagram therefore demonstrates that traditionally this kind of development, in this case for referees, has taken place mainly within Societies, but that there may be a need in the future to use other methods, with the aid of modern technology, to reach a wider community.