The Association will be running a number of Referees courses in the Canberra District in 2008. Initial contact is made through the Secretary.

Level 1 Referees Course.

- Saturday 29 March 2008

The Sports Club, Kaleen

- Saturday 17 May 2008

Workers Club, Goulburn

The course will be conducted from 9am - 4pm. Cost is curently $35 which includes all Manuals, Rule Books, NRAS Registration and lunch. Parts of the course may be conducted on field, so all attendees are required to bring sports clothes & shoes.

Other Level 1 courses will be run on demand.

Contact the Secretary for further information

A Level 2 Referees course for those upgrading from Level 1 will also be conducted at Kaleen on Saturday 29 March 2008.

Touch Judge Courses

Our Association will be running official Touch Judge courses on the following Tuesday nights at Northbourne Oval, Braddon. (They need only attend one night, not both)

• Tuesday 29th April
• Tuesday 6th May

The course comprises

• Module 2 – Laws of the Game;
• Module 3 – Signals & Whistle;
• Module 4 – The Role of the Touch Judge; and
• Module 7 – Practical Refereeing.

Courses will commence at 6pm with approx 60 mins theory in the gymnasium followed by 30-45 mins practical on the field. There is no cost to attend and those attending will receive local accreditation under the NOAS scheme. Upon completion of the course, those candidates can become members of the Referees Association, and can perform official touch judge duties, and get paid where appropriate. Should they later wish to become Referees, they need to complete the missing Modules between 1 and 10, approximately 6-7 hours.

NRL Referee Ben Cummins giving a few tips to 1st year Referee Katherine Nightingale at Canberra Stadium prior to the Raiders Vs Knights game. Ben commenced his refereeing career in Canberra at the age of 16 before pursuing a full time career in the NRL in Sydney.

The Canberra District Rugby League Referees Association offers the following Membership Categories:

• Senior Active Member (over 18 years)
• Junior Active Member (under 18 years)
• Non-Active Member
• Honorary Members
• Life Members
• Associate Members

From 2005, all Membership Categories (except Life Members) will pay a $10 Affiliation Fee. To fund the operations of the Association, a 10% levy will be placed on all Match Payments received.

Application for Membership Form

In order to referee Rugby League, officials must first be accredited. The process of accreditation is a graduated learning experience that provides referees with theory and practical skills required to officiate in matches.
The National Referees' Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) has been implemented to ensure that Rugby League Referees, throughout the country have consistent and thorough training as they progress through their careers.

The minimum age requirement is 14 years.

The NRAS scheme was changed in 2005. The new levels are:

• Level 1 Modified Games Referee (Mini/Mod).
• Level 1 International Referee (13 years & above).
• Level 1 Referee (includes both Modified & International Referee).
• Touch Judge Officials.
• Level 1 School Referee
  • School Teacher (Primary & Secondary School games)
  • Year 9-12 pupil – Modified matches in Primary School
  • Year 11-12 pupil – International games from Year 7 – 10
• Rugby League Coaches.

The Canberra District Rugby League Referees Association will ONLY be conducting courses for the Level 1 Referee, Touch Judge Official, Level 1 School Referee and Rugby League Coaches.

The NRAS courses are run in several stages:

Level 1 Referee
Stage 1.
Self Study. Course books and reading material is supplied to each candidate for self-study. The period of self-study depends on the course undertaken, however candidates will normally complete Modules 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 & 8 of the Workbook prior to attending Stage 2.

Stage 2.
Formal Course Work. Candidates will attend formal course work run over 1 day where a number of modules will be delivered by the NRAS Provider and other members of the Referees Association. At the formal course you will complete all Modules 1 to 10.

Successful completion of Stage 1 and Stage 2 results in the candidate attaining the ‘Referee-in-Training’ status. The candidate may then apply to join the Referees Association and proceed to Stage 3. The ‘Referee-in-Training’ is also required to maintain a Workbook.

Stage 3.
Practical Assessment. Candidates will begin to officiate in matches. They will be formally assessed on at least three occasions by an appointed supervisor. They will also receive coaching from members of the Association and further education relating to practical refereeing and application of the Rules of the Game.

The ‘Referee-in-Training’ will continue to receive appointments throughout the year. In your first year you could expect to receive appointments in the Mini/Mod games, dependant upon your ability. If you are under the age of 18 years you will normally be appointed to games, two years younger than yourself, however under special circumstances you may be appointed to a game closer to your age.

Stage 4.
Final Assessment. Candidates will again attend formal course work and answer a series of quizzes. The assessment will also take into account the On-Field Assessments and completion of the Workbook.

Touch Judge Certificate of Attainment
The course is run over 3 hours and contains elements from Modules 3, 4 & 7 of the Level 1 Workbook. There is no practical assessment or exam, the course is theory based. The Certificate of Attainment does not give the candidate the same qualifications as a Level 1 Referee performing Touch Judge duties. The Touch Judge Certificate does not allow the holder to enter the field of play to report incidents to the Referee, however the Referee may go to the touch line to consult this person.

Level 1 School Referee
This course is structured for the pupil who wishes to undertake either the Modified OR International rules refereeing. If the pupil desires to referee both Modified AND International games they must complete the full Level 1 Referees course. If a teacher wishes to obtain the qualification they must complete the full Level 1 Referees course.

The School Referee qualification will only be offered with arrangement of the School involved as the course is presented by the Association NRAS Provider and a School Teacher. The NRAS Provider will present Modules 2, 3 & 7. The School Teacher under guidance from the NRAS Provider will deliver Modules 1, 4, 9 & 10. There is no exam with this qualification, however the pupil is still required to participate in 3 practical on-field assessments.

If the pupil wishes to progress his Refereeing career, they must join the Referees Association and complete the full requirements of the Level 1 Referee. Most of these requirements will have been met whilst undertaking the Level 1 School Referee course.

Level 2 Accreditation

Level Two Accreditation is available to referees, who have completed the prerequisites during their Level One time and wish to officiate at a higher level. As well as having satisfactory on-field assessments, you will undertake further rules revision, complete workbooks and learn more about practical refereeing, match preparation and other important subjects. Once accredited as a Level Two referee, and reach the age of 18 years, you may officiate in senior football (eg. District A Grade) and representative fixtures (eg. NSWRL Harold Matthews etc.).

Level Two Accreditation is conducted by our Association, however the final assessment is conducted by the NSWRL Referees Association in Sydney.

Level 3 Accreditation

Accreditation Levels above Level 2 are required to officiate in matches outside of the Junior League Districts. For example NSWRL Graded competitions (Metro Cup & First Division) and the NRL Competitions require at least a Level Three Accreditation. Referees who wish to apply for these Accreditation Levels should contact their District NRAS Coordinator.

Level 4 Accreditation

Is granted to those match officials who have officiated to First Grade (National Rugby League) appointments.

Level 5 Accreditation

Is granted to referees and touch judges who have officiated in officially sanctioned test matches.

REFEREES UNIFORM

The Referees Uniform is purchased from the Association Gear Officer. This will be placed on an account and will be deducted from match payments. Current costs are $60 for jumper, shorts and socks.

In addition to this the Association has other gear including Whistles, Track Suits, Gear Bags, Flags, Caps, Pullover's, Ties, Chambray Shirts, and Polo Shirts

APPOINTMENTS

All appointments are made by either the Senior or Junior Appointments Boards and are then notified to members in our weekly Newsletter called 'In Touch'. You would normally receive 2-3 Mini/Mod appointments each Sunday morning, however this is not guaranteed. Payments will be made progressively during the year. If you are Under 18 you may only officiate in games involving players two (2) years younger than yourself.