Each year Kent Society presents the Whistlers Trophy to a deserving club in Kent. The award is presented to the club that is most hospitable to our visiting referees. The job of a referee can be quiet lonely, and how clubs welcome and host our members makes a big difference to the Society – chiefly in being able to retain its members and recruit new referees to cope with the demand from clubs. 

Below are some guidelines to help clubs know what makes an impression on a referee, and can make their experience on the day so much more enjoyable. We’ve produced these guidelines in response to clubs who have requested information on how to gauge their own performance. 

Guidelines

Pre-match Administration. This begins with the first contact by a club’s fixture secretary. Contact should be made as early in the week as possible, and no later than the Thursday evening before a game. In the event of a potential problem with the fixture, clubs MUST advise the referee for whatever reason. Keep the referee and the Society informed.

Welcome at the Club. Do you welcome the referee to the club? Have you considered allocating the referee a car parking space? Is a senior club member/VP assigned to look after ALL referees? Do you know who the referee assessors are? Do you have a proper referee changing room (and not a store room with a chair!)?

Touch Judges. 1st XV touch judges are mandatory. How much effort do you put into finding a touch judge for your junior sides? Do you have a set of touch judge flags for each match?

Pitch Markings. Are the lines visible, correctly marked, white in colour? If there has been recent rain, have efforts been made to re-instate the lines where they have been washed away? Do the touch/corner flags have actual flags or are they just posts? Do these posts comply with the minimum height requirements?

Post-match Hospitality. Do you provide the referee with post-match refreshment i.e. cup of tea, choice of drink, in their changing room? Do you give the referee(s) a complimentary drink(s)? Do you ensure the referee gets a player’s meal after the game? If the referee brought a visitor, are they also made to feel welcome? What steps do you take to entertain the referee after the game and ensure they are not left on their own?

Score Values

Substantially below requirements = 0 or 1
Below requirements = 2
Meets Requirements = 3 or 4
Excellent = 5