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UNTOLD TALES OF A REFEREE


Photo: courtesy

Throughout my short career of being a rugby referee, I have seen many referees gradually walking away from the game at all stages.
Many will be wondering the reason as this is so.Unfortunately; referees are undergoing physical threats and psychological strains.
Major concerns involve the young referees who are already struggling to make a name on the crowded field sport.
When such young sports officials are throwing in their whistles at record rates, where do we expect to get competent referees for the next decades?
The next time you decide to watch a game, here are a few things to bear in mind….
We never pick a match to ref but instead we are appointed. Therefore it is our duty to ref the game with the skills that we have acquired.
Another thing to remember is that the referee there could be somebody’s daughter or son, mother or father. So when you throw those insulting words at them remember that you are embarrassing them in front of their loved one. This is devastating to them.
Some need to juggle between their full time jobs or schooling. As referees, we don’t showcase our feelings or emotions but rather put in our best to deliver the best for the game. Other times we sacrifice our vacation time just to be there.
And just like the players, the referees also make mistakes .In our case we have at most two people to support us and not 23 and again we have a split of a second to make a decision. Sometimes your match may be our second or third for the day.
Referees are devoted to rugby just as you. We don’t always have a group to train with, so we have to keep our fitness levels single-handedly. Referees may not always be the finest, but sometimes we are the only ones. So when you throw your insults keep this in mind.
Things don’t normally work out as planned and sometimes finds the referee to make his arrangements on how to get at the venue of the game. This means an additional cost to them. So the next time you go for a match, try to identify with the referee and ask yourself what if that was you?
And if you think you can outshine us, why don’t you pick the whistle?




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