Wellington Rugby Referees Association

We hope that you are interested in Rugby Refereeing and in particular in Wellington. Refereeing rugby is a very rewarding way to be involved in the game regardless of your age and experience. We are seeking anyone interested in refereeing and we will help you to learn about the art of rugby refereeing and to develop to any level that aspire to. We have referees as young as 13 who aspire to be World Rugby Test Referees and at the other end of the scale referees who are collecting the pension who turn out each week to referee a social grade of rugby. Every weekend we have about 100 referees available to us to referee about 90 games of rugby. We endeavour to cover all Secondary Schools rugby and WRFU grades of rugby. However this year every week there are no referees for Presidents grade and for some Reserve grade referees. The Wellington Rugby Referees Association operates pretty much as a club under the WRFU and our members pay a nominal sub to belong. All financial members are provided with full refereeing kit and access to the many coaching resources that the association have. All new referees are grouped together and are allocated games according to their ability. Beyond the first year, referees are then graded in to different levels where at the top a panel of around 10 to 15 Level 1 referees referee Premier rugby in Wellington. Wellington currently have 1 referee on the NZ Rugby National panel (Mike Fraser) with Mike being a full time professional. There are many opportunities for referees with all of these referees having been groomed through the ranks which includes local development panels and Hurricanes Referees Squad. Within our local association there are opportunities to referee in many of the other associations within New Zealand and also opportunities overseas. So there are many opportunities to enjoy refereeing here in Wellington. If you want to have a look further then please ring David Walsh on 0800 73337