Referee Interchange Programme

Northland Rugby Referees Association (NRRA) recently took part in its annual interchange programme, which sees a number of the association’s officials fly to different locations around the country to experience refereeing in other regions. This year’s interchange location was Blenheim, with the Northland officials flying down to be hosted by the Tasman Rugby Referee’s Association.

In exchange, the programme saw the NRRA host Ben Alexander and Brad Evans, two premier referees from the Tasman region. The programme involves being hosted by a family within the association, a touch of sightseeing and of course refereeing a game.

Llew Smart, NRRA Chairman highlights the huge value the NRRA see in the interchange programme.

‘It’s such a brilliant experience for our referees, to head down to a different part of the country and see how other organisations do things. It really gives them the chance to represent our region, test their skills, see a bit of New Zealand and get involved in some great grass roots rugby. It’s another good reason to get involved in refereeing, so many amazing opportunities open to our members. We’d love to see more people come forward and give it a go.’

The NRRA has been involved in the exchange programmes for over 10 years and plans to continue to facilitate this opportunity for its members.

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