This September Eccles RFC are launching #REFSPECT - a behaviour-change campaign to promote respect for referees in Junior Rugby, where the match officials for Sunday morning fixtures are most commonly coaches and club volunteers who take on the responsibility so that a game can be played, fairly and safely.
Feedback from our coaches last season highlighted an increasing number of incidents where loud derisive comments from adults on the touchlines, questioning the accuracy and impartiality of referee decisions, were fuelling a deterioration in player behaviour on the pitch.
Although rarely abusive, the ongoing complaints and criticisms were undermining efforts to instil the core rugby values of respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship in young players, and eroding the willingness of coaches (including colts who we were attempting to develop as young match officials) to take up the whistle. No refs means no games, so we needed a solution.
This season, to visibly tackle the perception of bias, and to encourage all spectators and players to see and respect the referee as an independent, equitable individual, we are providing our Junior rugby coaches with a yellow shirt to wear when they officiate, instead of their club-badged top. Emblazoned with the message ‘REFSPECT’ we aim to make a simple but clear statement on what we as a club expect, and we hope our members and visitors will give this initiative, and the referee, their support.
Note: Our coaches pay for their own whistle and cape !
