Rugby: Young whistleblowers flock to Bay fields

A New Zealand Rugby Union initiative is attracting a legion of secondary school students to rugby fields across the Bay of Plenty armed with whistles.

The "You Make the Call" course, run through high schools with the added incentive of NZQA level three credits, have seen budding young referees look at the finer points of the game over the past few weeks.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union rugby administrator for schools, Kyle McLean, took a group of Te Puke High School students through their paces earlier this week following successful stints at large Western Bay of Plenty schools.

"We've done two courses - one at Tauranga Boys' College and another at Otumoetai College," said McLean.

"Before Te Puke, we had about 22 kids through the theory part of the programme and now they need to referee two competitive matches. That's the challenge - finding the games for them, because the majority of the kids are still playing."

The theory part of the programme - which brought promising young referee Amon Rimene to the union's ranks - runs over two days before participants are asked to control two age group fixtures.

Students who successfully complete the theory, including components of health and safety and injury prevention, receive four NZQA credits at level three.

A further six credits can then be earned if they adequately control their two matches.

Six Otumoetai College students officiated the first of those matches during trial games at the school last week.

"They've been really keen - most of them are choosing to do it. They've really enjoyed it because it's given them a grasp of some of the rules they didn't know and also kids love responsibility and that challenge of feeling important and respected," McLean said.

"After refereeing for 10 minutes they all got their confidence up and started talking well, it was really positive."

McLean said having Rimene as a poster boy of sorts was a huge plus for the programme.

"Amon is a well-known person and a character and a good humble boy. Everyone gets on well with him, they all know him, so other kids see that refereeing is an option.

"He's quite a cool kid - he's not a geeky ref - he's a top lad so they think that's not a bad pathway for them. He's a key person in the Bay."

The course is one of a number of initiatives aimed at recruiting referees, with past players and parents also seen as candidates.

McLean's role is a result of support from TECT, while Bay of Plenty Rugby Union operations manager Neil Alton said the recruitment campaign aims to revert a drastic shortage of referees at all levels.

"It is important for the game to not only have a strong base of players and coaches but referees as well," said Alton.

"There is no game without a ref and a much better game with one who is well trained."