14nong kong Soc|ety of kugby Iootba|| Un|on keferees

Wh|st|er



Important Dates

1. nkSkIUk Genera| Meet|ng: Monday 17 Iebruary 2014 at 7 pm at the CC.

2. Season tra|n|ng: Lvery Wednesday n|ght at k|ngs ark from 7:30 pm.


1ab|e of Contents
1. resldenL's ush
2. CA8 8eporL
3. CommunlLy 8eferee Cfflcers 8eporL
4. klL


res|dent's ush
Warren Needham. res|dent, nong kong Soc|ety of kugby Iootba|| Un|on keferees.

CreeLlngs.

1hls week has been a busy one wlLh meeLlngs seemlng Lo domlnaLe. LasL Monday belng Lhe 2nd Monday
of Lhe monLh saw Lxcom meeL. We saL down agaln wlLh ual 8ees who furLher ouLllned Lhe new
organlsaLlonal sLrucLure for Lhe unlon's referee dlvlslon. A ma[or plece of Lhls ls Lhe hlrlng of a new
naLlonal 8eferee uevelopmenL Manager. 1he unlon has asked Lo have a member of Lxcom on Lhe
lnLervlew panel, whlch wlll be fllled by uougle. 1here have been qulLe a few appllcaLlons already buL Lhe
deadllne for appllcaLlons was exLended by a couple a weeks Lo allow a few appllcanLs more Lhe Llme Lo
geL Lhelr Cvs ln. 1he oLher poslLlon Lo be fllled ls Lhe erformance 8eferee Manager. 1he plan ls Lo have
Lhese poslLlons fllled as soon as posslble Lo allow Lhe new Leam of four lncludlng Lhe 'old Llmers' MaLL
8odden (CommunlLy 8eferee Manager) and aLrlck kwok (!unlor 8eferee Manager) Lo geL a runnlng
sLarL aL season 2014-13. 1he dlscusslons we are havlng wlLh ual aL Lhls polnL are qulLe general looklng aL
Lhe blg plcLure of how we as a SocleLy work wlLh Lhe unlon 8eferee deparLmenL Lo achleve our mlsslon.
1he nlLLy grlLLy of how SocleLy/unlon lnLerface wlll work on Lhe ground wlll be sorLed ouL when Lhe new
hlres Lake up Lhelr poslLlons. needless Lo say Lhere ls a loL Lo be done buL Lhe dlscusslons we have had
have been very poslLlve and very consLrucLlve and we are very much on Lhe same wavelengLh. 1he nexL
and arguably Lhe mosL lmporLanL area of dlscusslon wlll revolve around Lhe flnanclal model LhaL Lhe
unlon has ln mlnd. ual wlll be presenLlng LhaL flrsLly Lo uougle and myself for lnlLlal feedback followed
by Lxcom. Cnce we have had a reasonable perlod of Llme Lo dlgesL all Lhls, galn clarlflcaLlon and glve
feedback, we wlll lnvlLe ual Lo presenL Lo Lhe membershlp aL a general meeLlng.

1here was an unforLunaLe seL of clrcumsLances aL So kon o lasL weekend, whlch lead Lo nlck Long
reslgnlng from acLlve refereelng. As you are all probably aware, So kon o ls a dlfflculL plLch aL whlch Lo
referee as Lhe lack of any subsLanLlal barrler, allows Lhe crowd Lo push up Lo Lhe Louchllne and ofLen
onLo Lhe fleld of play. nlck was A81 for uewl's remlershlp maLch beLween PklC and kowloon. 1he
Leam managemenL and crowd conLlnually goL ln nlck's way, lnhlblLlng hlm from dolng hls [ob, and
requlred hlm Lo ask uewl Lo sLop Lhe game so lL could be sorLed ouL. 1hls comblned wlLh Lhe usual lll-
lnformed abuse comlng from Lhe crowd prompLed nlck Lo reLhlnk hls commlLmenL Lo Pk 8ugby. 1hls
whole slLuaLlon could have been negaLed had Lhe plLch been adequaLely 'roped off' Lo keep Lhe crowd
well back from Lhe Louchllne and had Lechnlcal areas been seL up on Lhe far slde of Lhe fleld. All of whlch
would have allowed nlck Lo do hls [ob unencumbered. l have been ln conLacL wlLh Lhe unlon Lhls week
asklng for:

1. All plLches belng adequaLely 'roped off' or barrlers puL ln place Lo keep specLaLors back from Lhe
fleld of play Lo allow A8s Lo fulflll Lhelr duLles wlLhouL hlndrance. 1hls needs Lo happen for all
games aL all plLches, noL [usL remlershlp.
2. AdequaLe lnLerchange areas be seL up aL all plLches hosLlng remlershlp maLches compleLe wlLh
a deflned area wlLh chalrs Lo accommodaLe players and Leam managers/physlos Lo keep Lhem
from lnLerferlng wlLh Lhe A8's duLles.
3. 1eam hyslos and runners wear blbs Lo ldenLlfy who ls allowed Lo leave Lhe lnLerchange area
onLo Lhe fleld of play aL Lhe approprlaLe Llme (breaks ln play).
4. A plLch marshal Lo be ln place Lo ensure polnLs 1 Lo 3 are ln place and LhaL wayward club
supporLers are kepL ln llne.

1he good news ls LhaL from Lhe responses l have recelved and dlscusslons l have had, Lhe unlon ls Laklng
Lhls very serlously. AL Lhe very leasL, Lhls weekend we should see polnLs 1 and 2 puL ln place for
remlershlp maLches. 1he unlon ls looklng very closely aL how lL can work wlLh clubs Lo fully lmplemenL
all Lhe above polnLs nexL season.

1he lmmedlaLe upshoL of Lhls for all members for Lhe resL of Lhls season, regardless of whaL levels you
are refereelng ls, lf Lhe crowd or Leam managemenL ls encroachlng on Lhe fleld and lnhlblLlng you from
dolng your [ob, S1C 1PL CAML and ASk 1PL CA1AlnS of Lhe Leams Lo sorL lL ouL. uC nC1 8LS1A81
1PL CAML un1lL ?Cu A8L SA1lSllLu. lf lL conLlnues Lo happen, conLlnue Lo sLop Lhe game and keep
Llme runnlng whlle lL's belng sorLed. uL Lhe responslblllLy back on Lhe clubs.

lease keep me lnformed of any lssues LhaL arlse due Lo Lhe above polnLs. 1he more daLa l can Lake back
Lo Lhe unlon, Lhe sLronger case l can make.

ln many of my conversaLlons wlLh vern 8eld (Lhe unlon CLC) l have made Lhe polnL LhaL Lhe SocleLy
needs Lo a parL of conversaLlons, noL a Loplc of conversaLlons. ln Lhe lnLeresL of addresslng Lhls, vern has
lnvlLed me Lo aLLend Lhe monLhly Club Chalrman's meeLlngs, whlch l dld on Wednesday nlghL aL Clymplc
Pouse. 1hls meeLlng allowed me Lo brlng a referee's perspecLlve Lo Lhe lssues belng dlscussed. lL was an
excellenL forum for me Lo ralse Lhe polnLs ouLllned above abouL plLch managemenL. 1hls meeLlng allows
us Lo galn a beLLer undersLandlng of Lhe blgger Pk 8ugby plcLure, and wlll afford us Lhe opporLunlLy Lo
beLLer engage wlLh Lhe wlder Pk 8ugby communlLy.

1hls Monday (leb 17) belng Lhe 3rd Monday of Lhe monLh means LhaL lL's Llme for anoLher Ceneral. 1o
keep yourself up Lo daLe wlLh all Lhlngs referrlng ln Pk, make sure you're Lhere. An LducaLlon sesslon
wlll follow Lhe meeLlng and of course Lhe curry wlll follow LhaL.

lf you're runnlng around a plLch Lhls week, LooL well and have fun.

Warren


CA8 keport
Les M|||ard. Cha|rman, Coach|ng Adv|sory 8oard (CA8), nkSkIUk.

CreeLlngs whlsLle blowers.

l have been looklng aL ways we can deal wlLh slLuaLlons LhaL occur as referees ln Pong kong. We are
consLanLly llsLenlng Lo commenLs from Lhe sldellne, some LhaL we can laugh off and oLhers LhaL geL
under our skln and cause us Lo ask why we do lL. l recenLly llsLened Lo a psychologlsL ldenLlfylng Lhe
dlfference beLween 'Leaslng' and 'bullylng'. When does Leaslng become bullylng? lL goL me Lhlnklng
abouL how we reacL Lo whaL we hear. lllA looked lnLo Lhe same and followlng ls an exLracL from a
documenL LhaL may help.
'1nL ACUISI1ICN CI SCnCLCGICAL SkILLS
We have Lrled Lo show LhaL belng a good referee ls noL [usL a maLLer of knowlng Lhe rules of Lhe game
buL also calls for a number of personal quallLles. Cnce Lhe rlghL menLal sLaLe has been aLLalned, our level
of refereelng Lakes us very close Lo Lhe llmlLs of our poLenLlal, and Lhls ls Lhe baslc key Lo Lhe acqulslLlon
and opLlmlzaLlon of our psychologlcal skllls.
1he more effecLlvely we learn Lo masLer Lhese skllls, Lhe more llkely we are Lo reach our poLenLlal as
referees. lor example, Lo esLabllsh good channels of communlcaLlon wlLh coaches, players and fans, we
need Lo develop our communlcaLlon skllls. Learnlng Lo express ourselves clearly, belng a good llsLener
and pavlng Lhe way for cooperaLlon are some of Lhe good lngredlenLs of effecLlve communlcaLlon.
Llegance ls relaLed Lo Lhe psychologlcal sklll of belng able Lo relax. 8emalnlng calm and relaxed durlng
crlLlcal phases of Lhe game ls an lmporLanL psychologlcal sklll for referees.
Pandllng Lhe pressure from coaches, players, specLaLors and Lhe medla calls for Lhe ablllLy Lo remaln
relaxed boLh physlcally and psychologlcally. 1hls sklll can be learnL by means of cerLaln relaxaLlon
Lechnlques such as progresslve relaxaLlon, breaLhlng exerclses and auLogenous Lralnlng.
ueclslve Lhlnklng requlres good concenLraLlon skllls and Lhe ablllLy Lo focus Lhe aLLenLlon. We referees
musL concenLraLe LoLally on whaL ls golng on and never allow ourselves Lo be dlsLracLed.
1o sum up, Lhe quallLles LhaL good referees have are acLually psychologlcal skllls LhaL can be learned and
pracLlsed. unforLunaLely, as we showed earller, Lhe Lyplcal Lralnlng of Lhe ma[orlLy of referees places Lhe
emphasls on physlcal Lechnlques. 8uL Lhe skllls LhaL dlsLlngulsh Lhe besL referees from Lhe resL are
menLal, noL physlcal. 1he good news ls LhaL Lhere are Lechnlques LhaL can help us Lo learn Lhese
lmporLanL menLal skllls. Acqulrlng Lhese psychologlcal skllls presupposes efforL on our parL. 8uL wlLh
consLanL pracLlce we can learn Lo develop our psychologlcal skllls Lo Lhe polnL where we are able Lo
conLrol our menLal and emoLlonal sLaLes raLher Lhan feellng LhaL we are conLrolled by Lhem.' (AdapLed
from WLln8L8C: sychology of refereelng" ChapLer 1)
Pave a greaL weekend whlsLle blowlng.

Les


Commun|ty keferee Cff|cers keport
Mathew kodden (Mb +8S2 6737 4142) & atr|ck kwok (Mb+8S2-9614-628S).
Commun|ty keferee Cff|cers | nong kong kugby Iootba|| Un|on

Pl All,

Sldellne ManagemenL :

lL ls Lhe Llme agaln we have Lo remlnd all Lhe players, Leam offlclals, supporLers eLc Lo clear Lhe slde llne.
We have lncldenLs lasL SaLurday wlLh A8s colllded wlLh players on Lhe sldellne. Agaln, as referee we also
have responslblllLles Lo have a safe envlronmenL Lo en[oy Lhe game we love.

8efore Lhe game, a general remlnder Lo keep all Lhe sldellne supporLers/players/Leam offlclals LhaL Lo
sLay behlnd Lhe 8arrlers(k/Pv/PklC/1SW), or aL leasL 3 meLers away from Lhe Louch llne lf you are aL
LCSu grounds wlLhouL any rope off" area. A good example of Shek klp Mel wlll be as Lhem Lo sLay up Lo
Lhe grand sLand, or behlnd Lhe red rlbbon aL So kon o. l suggesL Lo approach Lo Lhe coach/managers of
Lhe Leams Lo ask Lhem Lo pollce Lhls before Lhe game.

lf lL happens durlng Lhe game, sLop Lhe game aL a sLoppage , ask Lhe capLalns of boLh Leams Lo sorL ouL
Lhe Louch llne. uC nC1 8LS1A81 Lhe game unLll you saLlsfy. Agaln, puL Lhls pressure back Lo Lhe clubs,
Lhelr game, Lhelr players, Lhelr responslblllLy.

8ed & ?ellows

lease make sure you flll ln a reporL for any yellow and red cards you lssue durlng a game. 1he forms can
be downloaded from Lhe PkS8lu8 webslLe. Send Lhls reporL Lo Andy Ll, whose emall address ls on Lhe
form, wlLhln 48 hours of Lhe maLch endlng. lf you lssue a red card or are sub[ecL Lo referee abuse, please
conLacL MaLL/aLrlck sLralghL afLer Lhe game.

Pk Sevens' Week - 43 uA?S Lo Cx/PS8C Pong kong 7's 2014

lenLy of rugby acLlon durlng Lhe 7's week wlLh PklC 10's aL looLy Club (Wed & 1hur), kowloon
lesL(Wed) and lnLernaLlonal ?ouLh 1ournamenL(1hur) aL klng's ark durlng Lhe Sevens' week and of
course Lhe one and only Pong kong Sevens aL Pong kong SLadlum(lrl - Sun).
lf you haven'L send your nomlnaLlons Lo SLan, please sLlck Lhls lnLo your dlary and send your
nomlnaLlons Lo SLan.

Cames 1hls SaLurday

aul ? remlershlp
ueA v valley klng's ark 1 aL 6:00pm
Pk ScoLLlsh v PklC aL Shek klp Mel 6:00pm
PkCC v kowloon aL So kon o 6:00pm

aLrlck & MaLL


k|t
A|exander 8|o|s-8rooke

As a remlnder we need Lo be wearlng full socleLy klL when aL games. Lven Lhough lL ls cold ouL Lhere Lhls
weekend please ensure we keep Lhe sLandards up and do noL wear Lrack sulLs or oLher [ackeLs on Lhe
plLch when referrlng. lf you wlsh Lo wear socleLy Lrack sulL Lop and boLLoms whlle runnlng A8 Lhere ls no
lssue wlLh Lhls.



Lnd