News

Congratulations

To the Keating Family on the safe arrival of Abbey Concetta Keating, born

Thursday 23/08/2007. A cute little sister for Riley.

ARL Gives WA Reds Green Light

Media Release 14^th August 20

The Australian Rugby League today provided the long awaited formal approval allowing the WA Reds to participate in the Sydney based Jim Beam Cup competition from 2008, announced WARL Chairman, Geoff Baldwin.

“There has been an enormous amount of work over many years to get us back to this turning point for Rugby League in WA and we see this as step one in our quest for a Perth based team to re-enter the National Rugby League in future years, Mr Baldwin said.

“The decision by the ARL recognises Western Australia as a growth market for the national game of Rugby League.

“Our organising committee is relieved to receive the go ahead and very excited about the challenges ahead as the journey back to the top begins.

“This has arguably been one of the most important decisions in Rugby League since 1998 when we lost the Western Reds franchise. Rugby League is a major national game and it needs to be in Perth for the sake of the talent we are producing locally and our supporter base that has been starved in recent years.”

“Based on the average crowds attracted by the Western Reds in the nineties, we know we have a good level of support in WA and we expect this support base to grow as people see our team begin to build over the next 6 months.

“Since we announced our strategy in November last year we have had to meet certain financial and planning commitments to the ARL most of which we have achieved ahead of schedule and with the official sanction we can now approach the campaign in earnest!

“Currently we have two of four major sponsorships filled and we are in advanced negotiation with a third and expect to finalise a full book of sponsorships within the next three months on the back of this confirmation.

“The WA Reds have played in 2007 as the state representative team and have taken all before them going through undefeated to win the National Championships then having 11 representatives selected for the National Affiliated Sates side which played in July.

WARL General Manager, Bill Nosworthy added that the structure around this team will see an improved local club competition and stronger pathways for our junior development program.

“In 2007 we have seen the best level of competition since the 90’s between the eight local clubs on the back of players returning to WA to stake their claim for inclusion in the inaugural Reds side.

“The WA Reds will need to recruit some strong forwards to build the side a little more prior to kick off in 2008 but the belief of head coach Chris Dever is that the talent across the field is already here and it is now more a matter of conditioning”, Mr Nosworthy said.

Pre-Season Training

Our President

Watto has scheduled our preseason training to commence at Kings Park on Sunday 21 January 2007 commencing at 8.15am. All those intending to Referee in 2007 (including Martin and John) are expected to participate in the pre-season sessions.

All those intending to Referee in 2007 (including Martin and John) are expected to participate in the pre-season sessions.

The Annual General Meeting of the Association is to be held 10.30am Sunday 5 November 2006.

Wishing Christina, Liam and Rory (Big Brother) all the best for the future with there new little boy

Rick Edwards and James Bennett for being selected to represent WA in the Under 15's National Championships for 2006

Nathan Mawer for being selected to represent WA in the Under 18's National Championships for 2006.

The Referees Association would like to pass on their condolences to the Kelly family

1957 - Colin refereed a game between Great Britain and Western Australia.
1962 - He refereed another game between Great Britain and Western Australia.
1964 - This was Colin's third time refereeing an International game, this time it was between France and Western Australia.

Mal and Penny have retired from the WARLRA as they have moved to Queensland. They wish everyone all the best for the future.

Profile: Mal played junior football with Harbord United in the Manly Warringah Junior R/L district. He played for Mosman Cottesloe 3^rd grade from 1992 till 1994 then managed Mosman Cottesloe 1^st grade from 1994 till 1997. Started to Referee Juniors in 1997, 1998 Refereed U/11’s Grand Final, 1999 Refereed U/11’s Grand Final and was awarded Best Junior Referee. In 2000 Mal Refereed U/13’s Grand Final and was awarded Most Improved Junior Referee. In 2001 he refereed the U/16’s Grand Final and was awarded Best Junior Referee. 2002 saw Mal start to Referee 1^st grade, Refereed U/18’s Grand Final, Refereed the Test Match between South African School Boys and W.A. he was also awarded Most Improved Senior Referee. 2003 Refereed U/16’s Grand Final. Mal was Assistant Secretary in 2000 and has been Treasurer since 2001.

Merv Rattray, Peter Watkins and Martin Weekes all have a mention in the August issue of Ref-a-Read.

To All ARLRA Affiliated Associations,

Last weekend's Sunday Telegraph contained an article written by the Rooster's
coach.
The Board of the ARLRA has forwarded a response to the Sunday Telegraph
which condemns Mr Stuart's article with references to its effect at the
grass roots level of our game. A copy of the article and the response are below but
there is no guarantee that it will be published.

The Board believes that the article contravenes all of the codes of conduct
that applies right through the game and is particularly concerned at the
effect that this type of sensationalism by high profile people has on our
efforts to attract and retain officials especially at our individual
Association levels. We believe that it is high time that we spoke out in a
constructive way against the destructive comments made against all referees
and we invite individual Associations to also make their feelings known just
as the Board has done on behalf of all referees. This can be achieved by
sending your own written condemnation of Mt Stuart's attack to the Sunday
Telegraph (sport@sundaytelegraph.com.au) and also to your own local media if
that also contributes to our cause.

We remind you that as referees we are also under the same codes of conduct
as Mr Stuart is supposedly under and our correspondence must be objective
and constructive, emphasising the difficulties that we face in attracting
and retaining referees even without Mr Stuart's denigrating remarks about us
in general.

Regards,

Steve Betts - CEO ARLRA.

If you can't read this newspaper clip email referees@warlra.org.au and we will send it to you.

I have been instructed by the Board of the Australian Rugby League Referees' Association (ARLRA) to write in protest against the hate campaign launched against referees by Ricky Stuart and the Sydney City Roosters in the Sunday Telegraph last weekend.

The damage Mr Stuart will cause at the grass roots level of the game as a result of his article is inestimable. It is disheartening that a person with one of the highest profiles in the game has caused it, a premiership winning player and coach, and current mentor of the NSW state representative team. We won’t attempt to reply to the vitriol that he directed at Tim Mander - Tim can look after himself. But the vast majority of our 2500 members around Australia do not have the support of the NRL to comfort them, nor do they have the privilege of security guards to protect them at their grounds. They referee because they love the game and do it for the kids who play and watch at their local grounds, a concept that Mr Stuart and others obviously don’t understand.

Promoting hate against people whose only crime is that they love the game and want to help does untold damage to the game of Rugby League, and indeed to ALL sport having difficulty in the recruitment and retention of its officials. Mr Stuart’s ill conceived and vicious attack on refereeing generally, suggesting that people should hate match officials, is a shocking indictment on our game.

ARL Development (ARLD) has recently released a program in an effort to attack the very real problem of sport rage at the grass roots level. They also recently released a Code of Conduct covering all facets of the game. It is interesting to note that the Roosters CEO Brian Canavan sits on the Board of ARLD. While he clearly supports these programs for other areas of the game, it puzzles us that he allows his own coach to rage against match officials with apparent impunity, giving the impression that it's OK to denigrate referees. We would question Mr Canavan’s position on the ARLD Board when he does not appear to support its own objectives. Surely this is not the message that these high profile "gentlemen", in particular Ricky Stuart, should be sending to the rugby league fraternity generally and especially to the youngsters in our game (players and referees alike). As role models they leave a lot to be desired. The NSWRL would gain many supporters if it looked for a more suitable role model to lead its State team in particular.

ARLD, through Graham McNaney, is currently looking at problems associated with the recruitment and retention of match officials. They should look no further than the actions of Mr Stuart and Mr Canavan, which have served to promote hate campaigns against referees. All this while the Roosters team commits a total of 46 errors and missed tackles. Stuart says in his article that if his players make errors, then “we go away and fix the problem”. Well, he has 46 of them to fix from that game alone. We suggest he leaves referees alone and gets on with it.

Lastly, while the ARLRA fully supports the NRL in taking action in this matter, fining someone like Mr Stuart the paltry amount of $10,000, then expecting that to change anything, is like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt. Nothing is going to happen.

Here are some photos from Fridays training session at Members Equity Stadium

Any member wishing to nominate for executive positions can send their nominations to the Secretary.

The WA Rugby League have confirmed that there will be an NRL match in Perth early next year.

This match will between the Bulldogs and the South Sydney on Friday the 25th of February 2005.

Mike Sims with other Referees at the Under 15's Championships
in South Australia during June.

Congratulations and good luck to fellow Referees Paul Bate and Robbie McLean who have both been selected to play in the Under 18's National Affiliated States team. The Championships will be held at St Mary's, Sydney from the 11th to the 16th July 2004.

Congratulations to Peter Watkins with his appointment to referee in the
Affiliated States Championships and Michael Sims Under 15's Championship
in South Australia during June.

Unfortunately on Tuesday, 23rd March 2004 the Referees Association was informed of the passing of our Patron Mr. Ron Hudson.

The Referees Association passes on their sympathies to Ron’s wife and family.

This item is from the ARLRA's web site.

THE LOGO'S HISTORY
Our logo was the subject of much discussion during an early Board meeting of the ARLRA with great difficulty in reaching a consensus among the members. The meeting adjourned at the end of the day with the Board charged with the task of pondering overnight what the logo should look like.

Several hours later in the still of night and the familiarity of a local bar, the logo debate was resurrected with Martin Weekes, now infused with the nectar of knowledge, pursuing the design of a logo that was:-

Simple
Representative; and
Included Tasmania.
The result was a draft of the existing logo created on the back of a beer coaster.

There was still not consensus as some wished for the logo to adopt a traditional style resplendent on a coat-of-arms. However, Martin is very persuasive and in the afterglow of the logo's creation in the bar the previous night, the new insignia of the Australian Rugby League Referees' Association was officially proclaimed.

But the logo couldn't spend its life on the back of a coaster so Ryan Mussio of MooseMedia, and a member of the Gold Coast Referees' Association, was given the task of completing the logo's graphic design. He did an excellent job in transforming the original draft into the striking symbol that we have today.

* In 1981 John got his Referees ticket.
* In 1982 John did Junior games and touch judging as he was still involved with the Bulldogs.
* 1983 John made the switch to refereeing.
* John has been a referee and touch judge for all grades from U7's to 1st grade. He has also been a touch judge in numerous state games.
* In 1986 John won the most improved referee award.
* John was on the appointments panel from 1987 to 1998.
* 1992/2002 John won the Ron Hudson Medal, the Golden Whistle Award and Referees Referee Award.
* In 1994 John received Life Membership to the Referees Association.
* 1996/1997 John was the Chairman of the appointments panel.
* John has also been a member of the coaching panel.
* John has also been on the Executive committee on numerous occasions.