Level One Match Officials Course

The Level 1 Referee Course is the basic course.  It covers the referee’s priorities, provides an introduction to the Laws, and examines scrums, ruck/mauls, tackles, lineouts, offside, and advantage with focus on the critical parts and how to referee them.  When a student has completed this course, and the accompanying test, they are ready to begin refereeing safely.  This is just the first step in a referee’s education, but it is the necessary beginning.

Course Description  

The course will consist of some classroom work in the morning and in the afternoon we will be in the gym doing practical exercises.  Please dress appropriately and be prepared for some mild physical activity.

At the end of the course there is a short, open-book Law test.  The intention is that the test will serve to familiarize the student with the Law Book and how to use it.  The instructor(s) will be available during the test for assistance and will work with anyone who does not pass the first time so they will achieve the desire understanding (hopefully within the next week).
 
The course takes about seven to eight hours to complete.  The cost is $50 for the course.  There is no additional fee to become certified, although you must be CIPP registered.  The New England Rugby Referees Society will reimburse the course fee to any students who become active referees in New England.
 
Students will receive a Law Book, Course Manual, whistle, cards (red and yellow) and a copy of Rugby Refereeing in Practice.

Course Preparation

There is a little bit of homework to be completed prior to the course.  This is intended to cover subjects that can easily be done on your own, thereby freeing more course time for practical applications.

-Grab a Law Book (an old one is fine) or go to the IRB website where the Laws are available as a PDF file www.irb.com and look at the Definitions in the beginning of the Book, scan Law 1 – The Ground, and look at the definitions in each of these Laws – 10 Foul Play, 11 Offside, 12 Knock-on, 15 Tackle, 16 Ruck, 17 Maul, 19 Lineout and 20 Scrum.  Don’t try to memorize anything, just read it once for familiarity.

-Go to www.irbrugbyready.com. There you will find a short, on-line safety course offered by the IRB.  It is free and takes less than an hour to run through.  Once you have signed up, you can do the course in small portions if you don’t have time to do it all at once.

-Go to www.irblaws.com and take the Law test.  Completing this is required for certification and should be done prior to the course.

Eligibility

This is the entry or introductory level course.

Instructor

Peter Watson
781-405-6932 (cell)
peter [dot] watsonmailgw [dot] com

Lunch  

There will be a break for lunch.

CIPP  

Current registration is required.

Cost/Payment

The cost is $50.
Register at www.usarugby.org
Go to OFFICIATE THE GAME
Go to TRAINING COURSES
Select the appropriate course
(If there is space for walk-ins, the cost will be $75)

Location

Lowell, Mass
Once you have registered at www.usarugby.com, email Peter Watson at peter [dot] watsonmailgw [dot] com and he will provide directions.