You are hereby invited to become; first,

a Touch Judge (Touch Video)  and  Level 150 Youth Referee; (U10 - U12)

a Level 1 Certified Referee  (U10 - U12: Middle School to High School)

a Level 2 Certified Referee (Middle School to High School - Men’s Clubs).    

Step 1:  Say to yourself, “Yes, I can do this, this will be fun, and it will really help the kids, the club, and the community.” 

Step 2:  email our Referee Coordinator at

referees@danvillerugby.com

He will point you to the Laws of the Game and Registration with USA Rugby; then, he will schedule a Referee 150 Course with you and other interested persons.  

Step 3:  Attend the Oak's "In-house"  Referee 150 Course.

During the season, we will lead the Referee 150 Courses before, during, and after scheduled practices at our allocated fields.  In the off-season and as needed, he will offer instruction at Osage Park in Danville; generally, on Tuesdays and Thursday nights between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 p.m..  

Step 4:  Get practical experience Refereeing and Touch Judging our U8’s through U12’s and/or Refereeing Touch Rugby at Osage Park.

Whether you come to The Oaks as a parent, a player, or a sibling; or as a sponsor, a coach, or a fan, we need your “wills and skills” to fill the ever- increasing demand for competent, welcoming, and engaging referees. Only with your support, will we meet the reasonable expectations of our players, parents, sponsors and fans; namely, we must safely play the sport, while simultaneously increasing the quantity and quality of our competitions, at all age levels.

Smarter players and coaches make smarter decisions, faster.

Often and almost by accident, many players and coaches in North America fall in love with Rugby long before they ever come to learn the Laws of the Game. While USA Rugby requires all to pass the Law Exam to receive their coaching certifications, without practical application and continuous development, the knowledge level of “get-through-the-dang-test-to-get-the certificate” perishes rapidly. Instinctive knowledge of the Laws of the Game allows both players and coaches to understand the answer to the question:

"Why do we do, what we do, on the pitch?"

Fear presents three known physiological reactions in humans: competing and powerful urges either “to freeze, to flee, or to fight”. However, because “knowledge replaces fear” and adaptive training processes can produce accurate muscle memory in humans under stress, those players and coaches who also referee, can act upon “what good looks like” faster than one’s more ignorant opponent. Refereeing naturally increases one’s Rugby IQ and moves the decision-making pace from the careful, cerebral analysis of a newbie, to the rapid-fire intuitions of a seasoned predator.

Refereeing enables players and coaches to know, more accurately and more quickly, when to “fight for the ball” while in a tackle, breakdown, or set- piece, and/or to “flee with the ball” via an evasive run, pass, or kick. Smarter players and coaches make smarter decisions, faster.

In a Step by Step Method: You'll Gain Awareness and Competencies

"First We'll Crawl, then Walk, and then Run"

Crawling: You Won't Go At It Alone 

We'll start you out with U8's  and put your new-found skills into action in this low-stress, touch rugby environment.  

With a friendly Referee Coach in support, you'll  master basic positioning and effective communications.  Also, you'll Touch Judge for your Referee Coach at his/her matches and you'll share your observations, questions, and peer comments with each other and use our private Referee's Page to record your progress. Moreover, you'll enjoy membership in Rugby NorCal's (emerging) Referee Society and have direct access to other club's referees for fraternal counsel and support in helping us build an authentic Rugby Culture in North America.     

When you're ready, we'll step you up to contact rugby.   

Walking:  Into the Breakdown    

Here you'll confidently Touch Judge at Middle and J.V. High School matches and you'll begin to understand how to manage play at the Breakdown during U10 and U12 matches.  Here you might "shadow" your Referee Coach, or your Referee Coach might "shadow" you, as you react to tackles, rucks, mauls and to un-contested and contested scrums, line-outs, and re-starts.  

You'll confidently adjust to the widely different paces of play, ensure player safety, and offer the players continuity of play and fair competition for the ball.   You're going to love refereeing now and you'll be able to run with confidence to any Middle School Match.  

Running: At The Middle School Mash-Up    

By now you'll be seeing how your growing awareness to the game influences the growth of your refereeing skill sets.  As you learn by doing, by sharing your successes and shortcomings with your Referee Coach, and by refereeing Middle School matches, you'll "have arrived" when you can no longer remember the number of matches you refereed and you long for the opportunity to move-on to High School matches.  At this point, you're ready, willing, and able to Touch Judge, or when specifically trained,  Assistant Referee at Rugby NorCal's High School Premier League level.      

Step Five: attend Level 1 Certified Referee  Course (U8 - Middle School and High School, when ready); register with Northern California Rugby Referee Society, “The Pelicans” and gather more experiences refereeing. 

Step Six: attend Level 2 Certified Referee (High School - Men’s Clubs); recruit others to follow in your footsteps, and become a life-long Rugby Advocate. The Oaks will reimburse all educational expenses incurred with USA Rugby Registration and training: please send receipts to treasurer@danvillerugby.com.

High School Varsity - $70 per match

High School Junior Varsity - $60 per match

Middle School Boys - $50 per match

Middle School Girls - $15 per match or $1 per minute

Summer Sevens - $15 per match or $1 per minute

Fall Sevens - $15 per match or $1 per minute

Touch Judge / AR - $7 per match

Fortunately, “to survive and to thrive” as a referee, no prior playing, coaching, or cheering experiences are necessary; simply, have 10 years of age, be of good character, be generally fit, and be willing to learn. Over time, and with our supportive peer group, you’ll begin to understand how the concepts of: “player safety”, “does it look like rugby?, “fair competition for the ball”; and “continuity of play”; eventually lead to an understanding of “materiality” and effective “match management”.