A Job To Keep You On The Ball

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday June 30, 2007

Jessica Dooley

They have to be fit, make decisions in a heartbeat and endure stadiums full of scorn -but they love it, writes Jessica Dooley.

You look up from the field to the packed stadium and tens of thousands of fans scream your name. You feel the adrenaline pump through your body as ... you blow your whistle.

You're not the star player and the fans screaming your name are also screaming expletives.

Being a professional referee is no easy job. The fitness training for professional referees is rigorous - and every decision they make is open to criticism from, well, everyone.

Why would anyone want to take it on? Officiating is hard enough in junior sport and that's without having to worry about how one's performance might affect a club's premiership chances or ability to secure sponsorship deals.

A controversial decision by an official can result in withering public criticism and even a cancelled contract.

Matt Goddard's career as an Australian Rugby Union referee is still going strong but he was at the centre of a media storm in February after the Queensland Reds coach, Eddie Jones, used such adjectives as "disgraceful", "ludicrous" and "outrageous" to describe his performance in the Reds' loss to the Brumbies.

South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby (SANZAR) ordered Jones to pay a $10,000 fine and write a letter of apology to Goddard - but not before Jones defended his actions, saying referees must be held accountable for their match performance.

Goddard points to the already high levels of accountability for rugby union referees. "We're heavily assessed and scrutinised by administrators and performance reviewers. I get pages and pages of feedback, week in and week out," he says .

"At the end of the day, there's not a huge amount of public criticism that's taken seriously. I'm generally harder on myself than anyone else."

The performance assessments are particularly thorough for Super 14 referees, who have every match performance monitored by at least four officials.

One of those officials is Peter Marshall, the Australian Rugby Union's referee manager. Then there's the SANZAR official sitting in the stands, plus two other officials watching from South Africa and New Zealand - with one writing a report of the ref's performance and the other giving him a score out of 200.

Goddard first started refereeing when an injury sidelined him from playing the game. He thought it would be a good way to keep up his exercise and fitness, though he admits he got "more than he bargained for" in that department.

These days he referees at an international level and says his job has its ups and downs.

"I think it's the same for all sports officials. The bottom line is, if you enjoy your sport, you'll enjoy it. If I didn't enjoy it, I'd flick it."

Marshall won't reveal how much his referees are paid but says that only the top-level referees can live on their wage. The rest work second jobs.

At the international level, travel might seem like a bonus but for Goddard, who is married with two young sons, it's the worst part.

"In a World Cup year, there would be upwards of 31/2 months' worth of international travel. If you were going to end your career early, it would be because of the travel."

Despite the demands of the job, competition for positions is tough, with candidates required to work their way up from local grade competitions.

The referees coach of the National Rugby League, Robert Finch, says there's a career path into refereeing. Rugby league refs start out young, doing a course to gain their "ticket" and becoming involved with refereeing associations at a local level.

Young referees with potential are selected for further training and education, then move up the ranks based on experience and performance.

At the professional level, the NRL takes the preparation of its 14 full-time referees seriously. Finch trains referees up to 15 times a week, including sessions in fitness, communication skills and decision-making.

On the field, they are monitored by satellite technology, and the information on heart rate and distance travelled during a game is used to tailor fitness training.

This year, NRL referees will work with the Brain Resource Company, which tests and reports on brain activity, to test things including memory function, attention, language skills and emotional capacity.

For this job, the thin-skinned definitely need not apply.

Become a ref

Training Most professional referees began their training through local sports clubs and worked their way up through the ranks.

Other career path entries Some referees are former players who want to continue their association with the sport, others work in a variety of fields and referee on weekends for the love of the game.

Salary Professional NRL referees earn between $75,000 and $110,000 a year depending on experience. Most junior level refereeing is done by volunteers but NRL referees are paid from the junior representative level upwards.

Ideal candidates People who are passionate about their sport, who perform well under pressure, are good communicators and have a high level of fitness.

Best parts of the job International travel, working in a sport that you love.

Worst parts of the job International travel, public criticism.

Contacts NSW Rugby League Referees Association: www.nswrlra.asn.au

NSW Rugby Training Development:

www.nswrugby.com.au

/CoachingRefereeing

/CoachingRefereeing.aspx.

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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