Refereeing is often a thankless task so I would like to kick off 2010 by extending a big thank-you to everyone who refereed for the club last year, either in the Senior or Junior competitions. Your service to the club, and in turn the sport, did not go unnoticed.

I also want to thank my predecessor, Tim Villalba, for the countless hours of hard work that he has put in during the past few years. He has left me big shoes to fill and I intend to do my best to fill them.

This year we have introduced a new system for managing our clubs referees. Every team from A to D grade will be required to complete a roster outlining when they can referee throughout the season. Forms will be given to teams at the first training session. They must be completed in the first 2 weeks and then returned to our Coaching Director, Kelly Condon. This year the onus is you to organise your teams’ referees, not your coach; so if you can’t make your allocated game, it will be your responsibility to find a replacement.

We are always on the look-out for more referees, so if you’ve never refereed before, but want to give it a go, please let us know. There will be FREE accreditation courses run early in the season for those interested in becoming referees or upgrading to the next level.

In addition, there will be plenty of opportunities for our referees to further themselves this year. If you are interested in attending any tournaments throughout the year, drop me a line.

I would encourage everyone to set themselves a refereeing goal this year. It might be something as simple as refereeing in a higher division than last year or something more advanced like achieving an upgrade or refereeing a Grand Final. Set yourself a realistic goal, work towards it and you will be rewarded at the end of the season.

I have a dedicated blog set up on the club website to keep everyone informed of any information throughout the year. Check it out by going to www.redskins.com.au, heading to the Blogs page and clicking the Referee Directors Blog link in the 'Blogs' menu, or by entering the url http://www.redskins.com.au/blogs/referees-director into your browsers address bar.

Good luck in 2010. You will get out of the year what you put into it, so make an effort and earn your rewards.

Cheers,
Kerrod Hall
Director of Referees
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Mobile: 0400 709 054