ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy

1. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Presentation February 2004

2. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy • The Elite Referees Program – Selection & Coaching Strategy focuses on: • Monitoring the performances of the top 40 Referees in Australia • Providing elite coaching and development through the structures of the National Referees Coaching Plan

3. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy • The strategy provides a formal Pathway of progression for Referees and involves their grouping in accordance with their ability, experience and potential, taking into account their placement on the ARU Referees Succession Plan.

4. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy • That Pathway encompasses: • National Referees Squad [NRS] [Contracted Referees] • National Referees Academy [NRA] • ARU ‘Watch’ Squad • ARU LIII Referees Program • Talent Identified Referees

5. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy • The NRS and the NRA, representing the elite of Australian Referees, will be managed by the ARU. • Members of the Watch Squad and the Talent Identified Referees will receive their coaching and development through State managed arrangements utilising LIII accredited coaches. • Both squads will use the coaching tools provided by the ARU’s Referee Coaching and Self-Evaluation Methodology & LIII Program.

6. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy • The strategy ensures that all Referees identified as having the potential to perform at the elite level will be included on a Pathway of selection and development aimed at giving them every opportunity to develop that potential to the fullest.

7. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy • The strategy includes those Referees that have ‘graduated’ through the Elite Referee Program who have several years ahead of them in which to make a positive contribution to Rugby refereeing in Australia but are not considered as having the potential to advance further on the progression Pathway.

8. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy National Referees Squad [NRS] • The National Referees Squad are the ARU’s ‘Contracted Referees’ who represent the pinnacle of the Elite Referee Program. They will be contracted based on their ability and experience determined by their ranking and appointments at the International and National level.

9. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy National Referees Squad [NRS] The NRS in 2004, which will be coached by the National Referees Coach, comprises:  • George Ayoub • Brett Bowden • Andrew Cole • Stuart Dickinson • Matt Goddard • Greg Hinton • Scott Young

10. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy National Referees Academy [NRA] • The National Referees Academy comprises those Referees considered as possessing the ability and potential to progress to the NRS.

11. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy National Referees Academy [NRA] • In 2004, the National Referees Academy comprises: • Geoff Acton • James Leckie • Andrew Lindsay • Paul Marks • Julian Pritchard • James Scholtens • Bradley Wahl

12. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy National Referees Academy [NRA] • The NRA will be the responsibility of the National Referees Coach and managed by a NRA Manager who will be responsible for the coaching and development of the Academy through selected LIII Coaches in each State. • Group and individual sessions/tasks will be undertaken throughout the course of the year addressing physical, tactical, technical and psychological development initiatives.

13. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy National Referees Academy [NRA] • Specific coaching plans, including match appointments strategies will be developed for each member of the Academy following a pre-season assessment of strengths and weaknesses. • Academy members will be mentored by a member of the NRS.

14. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy National Referees Academy [NRA] • Membership of the Academy, which is not restricted by numbers, will be reviewed annually and individual performances assessed against the criteria above and in terms of the requirements of the ARU’s Referee Coaching and Self-Evaluation Methodology.

15. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy National Referees Academy [NRA] • Terry O’Connor will be the Academy Manager supported by Academy coaches: • Roger Higgins • Frank Meiklejohn • Brendan McCormick • Greg West

16. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Referee Coaches • The Elite Referee Program also includes the development of Elite Referee Coaches. Their Pathway is as follows: • LII Referee Coach • ARU’s LIII Referee Coaches Program • State based  coaching of Talent Identified Referees and members of the Watch Squad • Elite Referee Coaching – members of the National Referees Academy • State Coaching Coordinators • National Referees Academy Manage • National Referees Coach

17. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy ‘Watch’ Squad • Conceptually, Watch Squad members will include Graduates from the LIII Referee Program while members of the Talent Identification List will be performance monitored with a view to inclusion in the LIII Program and subsequent inclusion in the Watch Squad.

18. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy ‘Watch’ Squad • For 2004 there are some referees that have been included in the Watch Squad based on performances in 2003 but are yet to graduate from the LIII Program. These referees will have the opportunity to progress through the Level III program in the near future.

19. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy ‘Watch’ Squad • Coaching for both groups will be State based, managed by State Coaching Coordinators implementing coaching and development programs initiated by the National Referees Coach and National Referees Education Manager.

20. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy ‘Watch’ Squad • Members of the Watch Squad in 2004 are: • Simon Cardiff • Dan Cheever • Michael Jennings • Steve Leszyzinski • Grant MacNeill • Simon Moore • Nathan Pearce • Danny Sidgreaves • Ian Smith 

21. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Talent Identified Referees Members of the Talent Identified Referees list in 2004 are: • Ian Abbott • Matt Blackham • Paul Heagney • Andrew Lees • Peter Lehman • Mark Snow • Michael Tutty

22. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Australian Rugby Shield • A parallel Referee development initiative through Community Rugby is the Australian Rugby Shield [ARS] competition. In 2003. the ARU Referee Selectors appointed the best Referees from the participating Unions to officiate at these matches. They were provided coaching by LIII accredited Referee Coaches with a view to exposing referees at this level of Rugby to the coaching techniques within the Elite Referee Program. The selection list will be reviewed prior to the commencement of the 2004 competition.

23. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Australian Rugby Shield • In 2003, the ARS Referees were: • Andrew Collins • Ian Hailes • Chris Howard • Paul McKay • Grant MacNeill • Geoff Patching • Nathan Pearce • Barry Walker • Damian Weston

24. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy ARU LIII Referee and Referee Coach Programs • These Programs will continue to play an important part in the ARU’s Elite Referee Program providing the academic structure and educational tools for the future coaching and development of potential elite level Referees and Referee Coaches. • Graduation from these Programs will be a prerequisite for entry into the NRA or to be assigned to coach Academy members.

25. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy ARU LIII Referee and Referee Coach Programs • The candidates for the 2003-04 LIII Referees Program are: • Paul McKay • Damian Mitchelmore • Alistair Mould • Geoff Patchings • Rob Shaw

26. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy ARU LIII Referee and Referee Coach Programs • The candidates for the LIII Referee Coaches Program are: • Simon Brown • Andy Bernard • Peter Gofton • Kim Lees • Chandra Seneviratne

27. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Graduates • The category of ‘Graduate’ in the Elite Referee Program caters for those Referees that have ‘graduated’ through the Program; those who have several years ahead of them in which to make a positive contribution to Rugby refereeing in Australia but are not considered as having the potential to advance further on the progression Pathway.

28. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Graduates • For 2004, those Referees in this category include: • Rod Brocket • James Dickson • Ben Heap • John McCarthy • Pat Rae

29. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Sighting Schedule • The ARU Referee Selectors, supported by State LIII Referee Coaches, will continue to monitor the performances of Referees throughout Australia through its Referee Sighting Schedule. The operation of the Schedule facilitates the monitoring of all Referees at each level on the Pathway and provides the opportunity to identifying potential refereeing talent.

30. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Succession Plan • The ARU Referees Manager, in consultation with the Referee Selectors, has developed a ‘Succession Plan’ that addresses all roles in the provision of Match Officials at the elite level and on the progression Pathway. • The ‘Succession Plan’ currently covers the period from 2003 to 2011 and identifies all current and potential candidates for all roles – Referees, TJs, TMOs, #4s &5s, Assessors, Coaches, Selector s, TJ Evaluators,Referee Managers. • The Plan has been developed bearing in mind the ARU’s long term plans for Rugby at all levels of the game.

31. ARU Elite Referees Program - Selection and Coaching Strategy Summary • The Elite Referees Program provides the mechanisms for the coaching and development of elite Referees within the structures of the National Referees Coaching Plan. It represents an initiative for the future development of Australia’s elite Rugby Referees. • The strategy provides a formal Pathway of progression for Referees and involves their grouping in accordance with their ability, experience and potential, taking into account their placement in the ARU Referee Succession Plan.