Can you put a whistle where your mouth is?
More referees are urgently required to alleviate the pressure of the current games schedule in the county.
A foundation course for new referees will be held over four nights in Thurles, starting on Tuesday 13th February. It will be the only new training course for the coming year.
Expanded league and championship formats in both hurling and football in 2017 have increased the demands on the current stock of referees in the county which numbered 98 in the past year. They officiated over 4000 games between adult and juvenile fixtures, an average of 40 games per referee, with some referees doing a lot more, and that doesn't include challenge games.
There were 28 referees in the North Tipperary division in 2017, with only one new referee completing the course last year. Four clubs currently do not have any qualified referee for adult/juvenile games. All clubs are urged to provide at least one attendee for the course which continues on Tuesdays 20th and 27th February while one module of the course can be done online from home between 21st & 28th February.
The course is developed in conjunction with Croke Park and supported through the Provincial Munster Referees Administrators. Training as a club referee involves the following modules:
Rules of Specification; The Play; Scores; Powers and duties of the Referee Technical Fouls; Set Play; Aggressive Fouls; Dissent; Referee’s Report; Rules Test and Fitness Test.
Modules are classroom based and involve attendance and participation by the prospective referees. A timed Rules Test is centrally organised by Croke Park, which the participants complete on-line, with a pass-mark set which must be achieved for successful progression
An initial trial Fitness Test, i.e. a “BEEP Test” will be used to familiarise new entrants with the levels required. A standard test will be used later in the year to monitor progression with a view to the achievement of a minimum standard required for qualification.
Following completion of the training course, the successful candidate is certified as qualified by Coiste Ríaracháin Réiteoirí Contae Tiobrad Árann as a Club Level Referee. It is recommended for Foundation Referees to be appointed to referee games up to and including U14 for a period of two years.
Application forms are available on the Tipperary GAA website and must be submitted through a persons respective Club Secretary with that club paying the feel of €100, which will be refunded after the new referee as officiated at ten games.
This is the latest effort by the Referee Recruitment committee which was set up in the county in 2014, to address the future refereeing needs within the Premier County. The 2018 committee is being chaired by John Lonergan with representatives from each of the four divisions, including Philip Kelly and Martin Darcy from the North division.
With the growth in popularity of Gaelic Games, the demand for match officials is increasing. With over four thousand games being played in our county on an annual basis, the role of the referee is a very important cog of the wheel to ensure all games take place.
For more information, the contact details for the Referees Recruitment Committee are: John Lonergan Chairperson 0862417763; Paul Stapleton - Administrator/ Secretary – 0851983325; Philip Kelly (North Division) 0872863683; Derek O’Mahoney (South Division) 0871902174; Fergal Horgan (West Division) 0860611523; Johnny Ryan (Mid Division) 0872652470, or from any member of the Referees Administration Committee; Jim O’Shea (Chairperson), Paul Stapleton (Secretary); John Ryan (Divisional Administrator West),
Seamus Walsh (Divisional Administrator South), Martin Darcy (Divisional Administrator North), TBC (Divisional Administrator Mid).