2020,HOPE FOR KENYA RUGBY REFEREES

Development of referees is vital in any sport but at times this goes unnoticed. The whys are mainly raised and various responses never hesitate to be given back. As many sports pundits put it “A game can go on without a referee” is true, supposedly, only a rugby ball and players are the fundamentals for a game to go on.

Kenya 7s team has been a core team in the world sevens series for close to two decades now. Surprisingly, we’ve never had any referee taking the center stage at this global event. The best we have had is only a number of referees running the line in the WR sevens series. This include: Godwin Karuga, Paul Weloba, Peris Mukoko, Sarah Atieno,Johnbosco Muamba,Victor Oduor and Constant cap.

What prevents referees from rising?

Apart from skewed career progressions which favor South African refs, most Kenyan referees are cut short or stunted by politics, bullying by players, fans and coaches. Do we have the capacity of contracting full time rugby referees? Do referees focusing on their study professions affect their involvement and concentration in rugby?

Just as players, referees too have a development pathway. But, is this stipulated In the KRRA or KRU constitution? Clearly, there seems to be an existing pathway. Next question, whose role is it to provide exposure to referees? Proper development phases should be put across the country starting from the regional societies to the national governing body if we ever expect to see a Kenyan referee at center stage. Necessity of creating more exchange programs is still there, create more opportunities for referees and see how soon world class refs will be produced. Tapping young referees through the “I also play referee” should be a good way of getting more young referees in the industry. But how often is this utilized? A larger pool of referees will ensure continuous growth of referees up the ladder.

All the blame can be directed to the governing bodies involved but referees also have to put in some effort towards their growth.”Don’t referee to be fit” should sink in our heads. Physiological factors of the game should never be overlooked as referees are required to make big calls at crucial moments of the game. Law knowledge is also an important constituent of a referee, interpretation of these laws should not be subjective too. Hats off to all referees who have been in action during the past 15’s season who can go almost half a season with no payment-A no mean feat

KRRA is the body that houses all rugby referees in Kenya. Complaints about poor officiating are often raised each rugby weekend, what does KRRA do about this? Whereas economic hard times seem to reign, there is still much that can be done.

Tech hasn’t been fully used, whatsapp groups for pure law discussions and support can be formed and many referees can benefit and also synchronized calls can be made all over the leagues. Alternatively, a website can be created and be giving insights about 2 or 3 scenarios from weekend matches, don’t you think this will help raise officiating standards and also players, coaches and fans can grasp a better comprehension of the laws?

Reflection is said to be a method of learning, countable number of rugby clubs and referees video their games. This really impacts what referees are going to review, either with a performance reviewer, coach or themselves. KRRA should try and provide a Video camera to each regional society to help in the growth of better officials.

Communication devices with an open air system can be of great importance not only to officials but also to governing of the game as a whole. Frequently, assistant referees get scolded for failing to report to a ref of a missed infringement, with proper communication devices this will surely be resolved. Sports technology has also developed with the emergence of wearable heart rate monitors, accelerometers and even smart watches which track an athlete fitness levels. This can help in designing programs which suit a referee based on the data collected by the gadgets.

Accountability of decisions and finances is a menace facing many sectors and may be KRRA too. Responsible individuals should be held accountable of such actions so that match officials don’t suffer simply because of their leaders actions

Inclusion of referees in the national governing body (KRU) over the years is increasing. But more still needs to be done if the game needs to propel forward, more training courses should be held to improve the education levels of MOs and CMOs.Perhaps,even refresher courses can be organized and utilize our local educators and trainers.

Creation of more opportunities to referee invitational tournaments like Dubai 7s, Hong Kong 10s, craven week etc may also improve the quality of officiating and also expose more refs to the international refereeing standards.

Payment of these volunteers to this beautiful game should often be in good time so that there are no stand-offs between KRRA and KRU.This has really retard the game over the past three seasons. Pitiful situations, like 2017 referees strike should not really be there for the betterment of the game.

What is the future of rugby refereeing in Kenya?