Entry Level Referee Award courses are a great way to start refereeing. They provide an excellent framework and skills to deal with being in the middle and giving the players a great game, rather than just standing on the touchline and pointing out how clearly you can see play unfold. Many festival organisers stipulate that clubs must provide ELRA qualified refs from each age group. There are a number of courses available this season - check out the upgraded RFU course finder - a definite improvement on the previous version.

This URL will take you to the RFU online course booking webpage where you can search for courses:

http://www.rfu.com/takingpart/olcb

A couple of courses coming up in the local area are being held at:

Richmond: 3 and 10 November 2013
London Welsh: 19 and 26 January 2014

Coaching and refereeing go hand-in-hand for the younger age groups, and refereeing is the best way to stay in touch with players on the pitch as they get older. Get involved soon!