International referee cooperation

It’s not a reverse armada by any means but English refereeing coaches will be working with individual Spanish referees.

As part of our overseas refereeing exchange programme, the RFU began exchanging with Spain two years ago. Only two hours by air, and with low cost air travel to a variety of English/Spanish cities available, the exchange has been easy to facilitate. The RFU have been sending out a referee and a referee coach to Spain and Spain have been sending two referees to England. Besides this both countries have sent representatives to each others respective National Conferences.

The links have been beneficial to both countries and this year an extension to the exchange has been complemented in the form of the RFU providing referee coaches support to Spanish referees. The Spanish referees will be in e-mail contact with the RFU referee coaches, discussing refereeing ideas, problems and solutions. It is envisaged that the referees will send DVDs of their games for the referee coaches to view and comment on.

It is hoped that the expertise of the coaches will be able to help the referees development. If possible exchanges may be arranged outside the formal RFU/Spanish exchange where coaches will be able to see their referee “live”.

E-mail, DVDs, cheap/quick travel is certainly opening up different avenues and ways of working in the officiating world to the benefit of all.

The referees and coaches involved are:

Jose Ignacio Fernandez Soria (Madrid) – Colin Macdonald (Staffordshire)
Igotz Gallastegui (Euskadi) – Steve Womersley (East Midlands)
Pedro Montoya (Euskadi) – Dick Weaver (London)
Rafael Ortega (Andalucia) – Alan Farmer (Manchester)
Miguel Roure (Madrid) – Mike Winnell (Gloucester)

Jose Ignacio Fernandez Soria said: “I think it’s a wonderful chance to improve.”