with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin

Grantham Reserve at Seven Hills was swarming with people at 9.30am in the morning on a beautiful Sunday in Western Sydney . There was a junior 7s rugby tournament on hosted by Sydney Junior Rugby Union and it was the first tournament on the calendar for the year . I was invited on behalf of one of the senior referees in Sydney West Rugby Referees Association Garry Payne to chat to the man in the hotseat , Recruitment and Retention Manager Paul Fitzgerald .

It is the area of focus for Sydney West Referees Association to help grow the game with the recruitment of new referees wanting to be involved . They have a strong focus to grow numbers through attracting mums and dads into the mix

Referee in action . Photo : Sydney West Rugby Referees . and increase their numbers of referees which sits at around 100 . One of the problems is that only about half of these referees are active this year .

Sydney West Rugby Referees Association appoint referees for up to 60 games on a Sunday and 30 school games on a Saturday . Paul wants to focus on ensuring that the referees are properly graded before taking to the field , and they have the assistance of referees coaches to help guide them on their way .

They currently work very closely with the NSW Referees Association with Education Officers to ensure that they are well focused and well trained before going on to the field . With the large Polynesian community in the west , they are hoping to grow their numbers within this area and increase the numbers of female participation . There are approximately 10 female referees and six of them are currently active .

Paul hopes to see these numbers increase to a 50 / 50 split and hopefully we will see more female referees follow in the footsteps of Amy Perrett who refereed at the Rugby World Sevens and in the Olympic Games . Amy was also the first female referee to officiate a Super Rugby match against the Brumbies and Western Force .

Sevens rugby is a great way for referees to get some experience . They get to referee live games for shorter periods of time which help them refine their overall skills . It ’ s a great opportunity for younger players or new referees who will be trying to get as much experience as possible and with the assistance of Referee Coaches helps them identify areas they can improve .

The Rugby Club Foundation give donations and Four N Twenty pies sponsor the referees . This has helped the association purchase cameras to track the referees to help them work on improving the finer skills , such as positioning in games .

Paul provides support to the referees which in turn helps in the retention of active referees . Garry Payne also assists ; he is an experienced referee coach and still actively referees within the association . Referees get great coaching on improving some of the skills from more senior referees . One way they do this is through education nights where they watch footage of Shute Shield and Super Rugby games to improve their overall skills and understanding .

The demographic of referees ranges from 13 , which the youngest a referee can start , right through into the 70s . The referees get paid too which is good for

Paul Fitzgerald with the Duck Man .

younger referees and more than covers the cost of petrol .

Most clubs are good with the referees as well and provide drinks and food after matches which is an added bonus . There is a great community feeling with referees and clubs and parents and coaches of teams .

The referees are sponsored by Headstart and currently run the Respect the Ref campaign . Pre-season training is every Saturday morning at Muirfield High School . If you ’ re thinking about getting involved , come and do the Law exam and get involved with refereeing .

It ’ s a great opportunity to give back to the community .

Sydney West Rugby Referees Association is the way to get involved .

THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 94 // APRIL 2023 31