Cash Boost For Welsh Rugby Referees

The Welsh Rugby Union is being offered up to £39,600 from the Sports Council for Wales in a bid to increase the number of qualified referees.
In light of the Court of Appeal’s ruling four months ago that former Llanharan RFC hooker Richard Vowles had been a victim of the referee’s negligence, The WRU’s insurer requires qualified referees to officiate at all matches at all levels.
As a result, a large number of junior games across Wales at the end of last season were cancelled. To increase support to voluntary referees, the Sports Council is planning to plough up to £39,600 of funding into training.
As a direct result of this funding the WRU plans to train 880 referees before March 2004 on its Level One award. Much of the training has already been undertaken this summer to ensure the new season can start with a bang this month.
The course comprises theory and practice sessions as well as a laws test. Once qualified, referees then undergo assessment and mentoring from the WRU referee department.
Graham Davies – Director of National Development at the Sports Council for Wales – explained: “The Sports Council is committed to supporting sports volunteers in Wales. They encourage young people, and others, to take part in sport.
“We were concerned that a number of junior fixtures had to be cancelled at the end of last season, so we looked at the best way to increase the number of qualified referees as soon as possible. We don’t want to be in the situation where they are forced to meet the full cost of training themselves.”
The aid from the Sports Council for Wales has been warmly welcomed by the WRU chief executive David Moffett and the Union‘s new director of referees, Rob Yeman.
“This is a huge boost to our game because referees are vital. If you don’t have a man in the middle with a whistle, you don’t have a game,” said David Moffett.
“There has been a massive effort put into training and recruitment of referees in Wales over the summer and the support we are receiving from the Sports Council has helped us to become very successful in meeting our targets. It was bitterly disappointing to see games being cancelled at the end of last season and we have moved quickly to ensure we don’t have a repeat of that situation.
“Everyone loves to hate the referee, but we all know we simply can’t do without them. This scheme will ensure we have enough to meet all our demands in the years to come and that they are properly equipped to help us all enjoy the national sport of Wales.”