The New England Referee Society announced this year's award winners of The Hayes Award

Deb Archambault said, "I view the club - referee relationship as a true collaboration"

On January 22, 2012, the New England Referee Society (NERRS) awarded Dartmouth Women's Rugby the Hayes Award. Dartmouth was selected from a list of approximately 250 New England area teams.

In a recent conversation, Dartmouth's head coach Deb Archambault said, "I view the club - referee relationship as a true collaboration, with the joint
goals of providing the best experience for all involved while continuing to improve the quality of match play.  I'm very happy that our approach has been such a positive experience for our referees, and I appreciate their willingness to not only enlist our captains in their cause on the field but to engage in constructive conversation after the match about their own and the team's performance.   I also have the highest regard for Chris Davis, our referee coordinator, and I think he deserves a lot of credit for fostering a culture of collaboration in our local area."

The Hayes Award is given to the club or clubs that have provided the most positive experience to referees throughout the year. The award is voted on by all referees as part of their match report. This year's winners are Dartmouth College Women and US Coast Guard Academy Men.

The Hayes Award recognizes the club(s) each year that show(s) the highest consistent quality in overall deportment, as evaluated by the referees at each club's home matches.  The Award is open to all clubs in New England, both Senior and College, and has been won by representatives of both groups in the past.

The areas that are considered when making these evaluations are pre-match arraignments, field preparation, players appearance, touch judge(s), on-field conduct, medical, and post-game demeanor.  These are aspects of the game that any club can control and make a significant difference in the level of enjoyment for referees.

The award is named for John Hayes, a past rugby referee and former President of the New England Rugby Referee Society.  John is currently retired.