The ITF understands the value and importance of referees.
Without referees, the game can’t be delivered and enjoyed by players, coaches and spectators. It is with this in mind that the Rules and Referee Committee was launched in 2020. The idea of the committee is that they will be responsible for the development of referees, and for the reviewing and updating of the rules of the game. The Committee will also be responsible for ensuring that the best referees are selected to referee at ITF sanctioned events and Tag World Cups.
The ITF will soon be launching a referee training platform that will give referees an opportunity to attain levels in refereeing that will be internationally recognised.
If you are a current referee or would like to become a referee, please follow the link below to become a part of the ITF Refereeing family.
Register as a referee
This is what Scott McLeod, one of the World’s most experienced Tag Test referee (over 100 Tests referee’d) has to say about the game and what he has experienced in 20 years of topflight refereeing.
“It has been an honour since my first grass roots Tag refereeing effort to regard the players of this great game as my peers. It was the communication, competitiveness, thrills, spills & wonderful skills of the players that have driven my desire to love the game for nearly 20 years. To reach a milestone exceeding 100 International Tag matches as a referee is a humbling recognition of my drive to always give the players my absolute best. I believe the hardest thing to achieve long term as a referee is to be faultless in your consistency. To be instinctive in attitude, positioning and in your rapport with players is my secret to enjoying Tag refereeing. Respect between the referee, coaches and players has to be mutual, and I feel it is an essential element of refereeing.
One of my greatest matches I have refereed was a World Cup match Semi Final Men’s Open between Tonga & New Zealand Maori. Thoughts about countless Australian State Cup & National Championship Grand semi and finals also bring back goosebumps.
I would not have achieved the many milestones as a referee if not for the players who on so many occasions have made my refereeing look better than it was and even more enjoyable. I have never lost my desire to referee and my focus and enthusiasm as I referee the next generation of Junior players worldwide is no less than what it was 20 years ago.
The development of skills and the game at a Junior level reveals a bright future ahead and I look forward to being a small part of such a great game for many years to come. A word of advice to any referee around the world would be to keep fit and up to date on the rules.
I would like to commend the ITF on the work they are doing in growing the game and also the programmes they are working on to get more referees involved in the game.”