Refereeing Blueprint Update.
RUGBY FOOTBAL REFEREES’ UNION
Refereeing Blueprint Update
To Society and Federation Secretaries,
The purpose of this note is to explain to Referee Societies and Federations about progress with implementing the Refereeing Blueprint consulted on during 2015 and about other matters of strategic importance.
The Blueprint set out proposals for increasing the number and quality of match officials throughout the XV-a-side game with the express intention of improving the quality of experience for all participants and ultimately aiding player and officials’ retention.
An important part of the proposals included making refereeing a more integral part of the Game, including changes to allow the voice of refereeing to be heard more clearly. There is news about these changes and the consequential actions that Societies should undertake in order to play a full part in the Blueprint, which are set out in this note.
RFRU as a National Constituent Body
As part of the Blueprint, the Referees’ Union sought to have its status changed from a National Representative Body to a full blown Constituent Body. This change has been recommended by the RFU Governance Committee along with some other changes for other bodies. RFU Council has approved the change for ratification at the RFU AGM in June.
Referee Societies to be Voting Members of the RFU
Governance has also agreed to draft changes to RFU Regulation 3 which sets out the criteria that prospective members of the RFU have to meet to be eligible for Voting Membership. These changes will be put to RFU Council in April for approval. They will include specific requirements of the constitution (mainly about requiring the Society to agree to RFU conditions of membership and for Society membership application forms to have a similar agreement for individuals). They will be very close to those proposed in the Blueprint consultation.
Societies will be able to apply to join the RFU from the 1st August 2016. Most are likely to need to make a change to their constitution either at an AGM or at a SGM. It is recommended that Societies should also consider incorporating, either at the same time or as a separate exercise. Information about incorporation and the rationale for doing so is available on the RFU website at http://www.englandrugby.com/governance/legal-and-admin/incorporation/ . The recommended route is to become a company limited by guarantee. The RFU legal department will be able to provide support with any of these constitutional changes.
All voting members of the RFU are allocated to a Constituent Body for voting purposes and, fairly obviously, Referee Societies will be allocated to the RFRU. This will not stop Societies from also being affiliated to a geographic CB as now, if they wish to, but if RFU voting is required (for example on electing a RFU Council representative) than that vote will only be able to be exercised within or through the RFRU.
RFRU Constitution and RFRU Council
The RFRU is changing its constitution, including becoming a corporate body, in preparation for becoming a Constituent Body. That process is well advanced and will be in place before the RFU AGM.
An important part of the changes has been the decision to change the governance structure within RFRU and to create a Council at which societies and federations can each be represented as members of the RFRU. From the adoption of the new constitution, societies and federations will be members of the RFRU. Each will be entitled to send one representative to Council meetings or to provide proxy votes to another attendee.
Example
A federation of three referee societies could send up to four people to a Council meeting. The federation could send a representative (as now) and so could each of the societies. If a society member was unable, or saw no need, to attend then they would be able to give their proxy vote to the federation representative.
Comment
There are clearly ways in which these arrangements could be seen to be inequitable amongst different societies and federations. However, the modus operandi of RFRU over its sixteen years of existence has been to move forward primarily by consensus. There have been very few votes on matters of disagreement. We have, though, said that we will review the effectiveness of this initial set up after twelve months.
It is expected that the Council will meet twice a year and will be responsible for approving strategy and policy. The day to day management of the CB, the formulation of strategy and the execution of agreed policy will rest with an Executive Committee drawn from the RFRU Council plus two ex-officio RFU staff.
Supporting the Executive Committee and RFRU Council will be sub-committees with specific responsibilities which can comprise members of RFRU Council and others from within refereeing, the RFU and the wider game.
We envisage holding the inaugural Council meeting on a weekend in Autumn 2016.
Central Funding Pilot
Coming out of the Blueprint consultation process, it was decided to launch a pilot central funding mechanism where Societies would be able to access central funds from the RFU, through the RFRU, to pay, primarily, for training and development activity. Ten societies have been invited to join the pilot which will run through the 2016/17 season. All have accepted the invitation and are about to engage with the RFRU task group in the initial stages of planning for the pilot and next season’s activity.
Collaboration Case Study
A fundamental premise of the Blueprint is to provide better development support to referees regardless of whether they operate in a club or school environment and regardless whether they are a society member or not.
Attached to this note is a case study of some work being done in Notts, Lincs and Derby CB where the society is working with Community Rugby Coaches and other RFU field staff to help with the training and development of young referees in schools.
This is an inspiring example of how a society can help to achieve the objectives of the Blueprint.
Adult Competition Review
You may have heard about the vote concerning the suspended Adult Competition Review. RFU Council voted by a very small majority (27-25) to lift the suspension but the vote amongst the Geographic CBs (who have the majority of the clubs in leagues) was against implementing the review. In the words of the Chairman of the Community Game Board; “That is no mandate for change”. Technically, the final decision cannot be made until the RFU Council meeting on 8th April, but it is clear that the review will not go ahead.
The proposed changes would have radically changed the league structure and would have had profound implications for the organisation of refereeing, especially at the current levels 5 to 8. That pressure for change will now be removed but we should remain mindful to address the challenges inherent in our existing structures and pathways.
Questions and Feedback
If you have any questions or feedback that may arise from this communication, the best place to deal with them, in the first instance, will be at the next meeting of the RFRU Committee which is on 14th April. Please contact your Federation representative, who will be attending .This will allow other areas to hear the questions and the answers and to share those responses with you.
But, if any concerns remain after that meeting, I will be happy to field them and can be contacted at Graeme.charters@gmail.com or on 07767 236 666.
Yours in Rugby