Referee Coach Resources

Thank you for being willing to help your fellow referees develop their skills. The service you provide is crucial to not only that individual referee but for our sport as a whole. The sage advice you provide can stay with that referee for many years and games to come. As such, we in the Executive Committee of the Society would like to provide some guidance of our own so we can better assist you and the referees you are helping. Following these guidelines will help us put consistent “paper” together for our referees with an eye on advancement outside of our area of responsibility. These guidelines are not intended to substitute for your CMO training, but rather are some helpful reminders.


Preparing to coach your referee:

  • Please review the most recent reports on the secure web site. You may want to discuss the reports with the other coaches. Also check the referee’s grade. These have been updated as of September 24, 2012.
  • If you do not get contact information and game details from the club or referee, please let Josh or Dave know.
  • If you would like to use our radios, please let one of the ExCo members know so we can round them up. We also have a video camera though of course we’ll also need to find someone to run it.

 Coaching on the day

  • Try to reassure your referee as to your presence as a coach and not someone assessing their very future in rugby.
  • Confirm with your referee if you are able to have a post-match discussion.
  • Limit halftime discussions to safety issues requiring immediate attention.

The Coaching Form

  • You do not need to fill in every box. In fact, we would prefer only a handful of boxes are selected. More than three each way may end up confusing and/or discouraging those you are trying to help. Preferably you should select items which will be addressed within your comments.
  • Choose some both positive and negative comments.
  • Try to keep your written comments brief yet concise. These should emphasize the points made on the day, assuming you were able to have a post-match discussion.
  • Double check the grade sheet on the secure web site for your referee. Remember these values are not commonly made public.
  • These reports need to be submitted within 48 hours of the match; i.e. by midday Monday for a Saturday match. This will not only help you provide a more complete report while it’s fresh in your memory but doubly so for the referee. The sooner they can review the report, the sooner they can begin to act on the advice.