Take the best seat in the house
Become a referee
No experience needed. We'll train you from scratch, support you every weekend, and get you the best seat in the house at a rugby game.
Who can referee?
If you're turning 13 in the current year or older, you can start refereeing. What you can referee depends on your age — the rule is that you need to be at least two years older than the players:
- Pathway Rugby — for players aged U6 to U12
- Foundation Rugby — for players aged U13 and up
For example, to referee a game of U11 players, you need to be turning 13 this year.
💛 There's a fee waiver so cost is never the barrier to getting started — just get in touch and we'll sort you out.
How to get started
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Do the Referee Ready course
Referee Ready is the introductory course, run by Sydney North with NSW Referees. It's a 3-hour interactive workshop covering the Laws of the Game and the Smart Rugby safety program, plus a short open-book online exam. Courses run online (Zoom) or face-to-face several times a year.
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Register with SNRR
Register with Sydney North Rugby Referees as your local association, so we can appoint you to matches. You can register with other associations too, depending on where you'd like to referee.
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Get appointed and get out there
We'll appoint you to matches through Rugby Xplorer, pair you with referee coaches, and support you every step. You're paid for every match you referee.
In Rugby Xplorer, go to Learning Centre → Browse Learning → Referee → Referee Ready and pick a course.
Official info: NSW Rugby — Referee ↗ · Rugby Australia — Get involved ↗
Five great reasons to pick up the whistle
- You stay involved with the game you love — the friendships, the fun and the banter
- You feel good knowing that you're giving something back
- You stay fit — mentally and physically
- You develop yourself personally and professionally
- You inspire the next generation of players
Got a question before you start?
Whether you're 13 or bringing years of rugby experience, we're happy to talk you through the next step.