‘They’ve had enough’ How a shortage of refs is putting our national game at risk
A referees’ shortage in grassroots rugby is ‘‘worse than ever’’ in the provinces and anxiety about poor sideline behaviour is one of the chief concerns, more than the abuse itself.
There is no game without them.
So the decline in rugby’s match officials throughout the community game is a serious concern when provincial unions and referee associations are scrambling to appoint referees to fixtures each week.
Grassroots rugby is the heartbeat of communities and the need for referees is nothing new. The demand mirrors participation issues prevalent throughout community sport.
Most are unpaid volunteers, giving up their spare time to officiate all levels from junior rugby up to senior premier grades, but referee numbers have been decreasing and the squeeze on those left with the whistle is tightening.
Moreover, from North Harbour to Otago, the shortage this season is ‘‘worse than ever’’ in some provinces, senior referee figures have told the Sunday StarTimes,
as rugby continues to tackle a range of issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sideline abuse has long been a scourge of community sport and can deter volunteers from refereeing.
Rugby, as the national game, has a larger following and is not exempt from this issue.
Ian Dallas, the Wellington Rugby Referees chairman for 21 years, said abuse does not help them retain referees.
‘‘We’ve lost a couple of referees from last year who have specifically said they’re not refereeing again because they’ve had enough.’’
Dallas said rugby, typically, was good with its respect for referees and officials have support if they are getting stick.
Still, recent incidents of serious abuse, while isolated, highlight the problem, despite efforts to stamp it out.
In April, East Coast suspended an entire round of club rugby because of referee abuse and poor sideline behaviour.
In May, alleged racial slurs from the sideline in a Wellington club rugby match sparked an ugly brawl between Marist St Pats and Old Boys’ University.
Pat Rae, Bay of Plenty’s community rugby manager, who has been refereeing for more than 20 years, said a bad experience can turn referees away.
‘‘It was always hard to recruit referees, it’s hard to hang on to them, and if you have a horrible experience as a referee, you are more likely to find something else to do with your time. If it’s not enjoyable, then why are you doing it?’’
However, the issues behind the referees’ shortage are more complex than the emotive topic of sideline abuse.
Passions can run high out of a love for the game, or as family members show support, and emotions can boil over.
In the thousands of matches which take place each week, serious incidents are rare, said Matt Peters, the game development manager for referees at New Zealand Rugby (NZR).
Peters said he didn’t receive major abuse in his 22 years as an active referee and ‘‘lots of referees have the same story’’.
‘‘Referee abuse is not a major issue in New Zealand rugby.
There are incidents, but they’re few and far between and are taken very seriously. We survey our referees on a regular basis and the vast majority have a great experience as a match official. It’s not all doom and gloom.’’
Peters said referee numbers were down this year, but was optimistic about them increasing with initiatives such as NZR’s Be In The Game campaign, encouraging more to give refereeing a go. An ageing referee population has also been affecting participation and there is a gap between young and old referees, Peters said, and retaining them in their 30s and 40s was a challenge.
‘‘Refereeing is a great way to be involved and stay on the grass, especially for former players, or others who just want to be involved. It’s a great way to keep fit without the bruises [from playing],’’ he said.
One of the main barriers to improving participation is an anxiety about sideline abuse, more than the abuse itself, said Michael Winter of the Waikato Rugby Referees Association, who referees club rugby and has taken charge of Mitre 10 Cup matches.
‘‘People have the odd experience where they may witness an [abusive] coach or parent on the sideline. The reality is it doesn’t happen all the time,’’ Winter said.
‘‘We put a massive amount of pressure on our clubs to respect the referee and value them. They are volunteers and there is bugger all of them.’’
Kieran Smith, King Country’s sponsorship officer for referees, first started refereeing in 2015 and was anxious about the ‘‘stigma of abuse’’. However, Smith loved it once he ‘‘caught the bug’’ and has been involved in refereeing for six years, though he is no longer active because of work and family commitments.
Smith has seen an 11-year-old boy, as an assistant, subjected to sideline abuse from a man unhappy with offside calls.
‘‘We had someone recently yelling abuse at the referee and asking how much they got paid? I said ‘he gets paid nothing’,’’ Smith said of another incident.
With three children under five, he can’t commit to covering multiple matches on a Saturday, which is another factor in declining referee numbers, as is the economic impact of Covid-19.
In Otago, their struggle led to an SOS call for more.
As volunteers, more referees have been dedicating extra time to work and family, said Tumua Ioane, Otago Rugby’s referee education officer.
However, the response in recent weeks has been ‘‘overwhelming’’, with numbers improving, Ioane said.
‘‘People didn’t really notice what was going on because games were being serviced,’’ he said.
‘‘Our numbers have been getting smaller. We almost can’t cover those games unless people do two or three games in a day.’’
Ioane said the shortage has been ‘‘a lingering problem that’s been fixed with a band-aid’’ and the referees’ welfare needs to be considered.
‘‘This is a rugby issue and not just a referee issue. There are lots of people in our community who love this game. They understand the problem.’’
Dallas, who was an active referee for 31 years, said the most enjoyable part was being in the thick of the action and the camaraderie.
‘‘We call it the best seat in the house,’’ Dallas said. ‘‘If the players have a good attitude and want to enjoy the game, it’s fantastic to be involved in that and allow 30-40 people to have a fantastic game of rugby.’’
Also, refereeing can keep players in the game and active once they hang up the boots.
Former Ireland test halfback Isaac Boss has found refereeing daunting, though he enjoys it because community matches in his home province, South Waikato, might not go ahead otherwise.
Boss is heavily involved as a player and coach, Southern United’s club president, and more recently as a referee. He would encourage others to try it.
‘‘It’s hard to avoid that perception of bias. You get comments from the sideline, but I’m like ‘feel free to volunteer yourself’,’’ Boss said.
‘‘As a coach, I have probably been there and given a touch [judge] a bit of abuse in the heat of the moment, then I’ve always apologised afterwards, so [refereeing] has been a good learning curve for me.
‘‘At some point, we’re all oneeyed supporters, or one-eyed parents, but the referees are doing a job.’’
‘‘If the players have a good attitude and want to enjoy the game, it’s fantastic to be involved in that . . .’’ Wellington Rugby Referees chairman Ian Dallas