All Schools Touch spoke to Jac Griffiths, a member of the first cohort of young referees that graduated from the Junior Referee Academy in 2014
The Junior Referee Academy members receive their medals at the European Touch Championships in Swansea, August 2014. From left; Jac, Kathryn Davies, Jake Hill
Established in January 2014, the Junior Referee Academy is the brainchild of Wales' top two rated referees, Kevin Hobbs and Matthew Reid.
The Academy's main aim was to identify, train and mentor the young referees required to officiate at the first ever Junior European Touch Championships in August 2014.
Kevin Hobbs explains;
"Jac attended a Touch Europe Referee Academy course having been first introduced to Touch through his school's sport and leisure officer. Jac was able to put his sporting ability to good use - his speed, fitness and willingness to learn helped him to quickly pick up officiating in a sport relatively new to him."
Having had a fantastic first year of officiating Touch, we caught up with Jac to ask about his experiences as a junior referee.
Jac, how and when did you get involved in refereeing Touch?
I got involved in refereeing through Ysgol Y Strade School in February last year, when an opportunity to take a course came up and offered the opportunity to referee at high level. It just seemed to be too good an opportunity to turn down.
Had you refereed before?
I had refereed a few low level rugby league games before, but going on the course and refereeing at the English CTS (Challenge Touch Series - England's second-tier national club series) was my first real experience of refereeing.
Tell us about your experience at CTS?
At CTS I was assigned to referee along side another academy referee, Jake Hill, who was already more experienced than myself so learning from him and with guidance of the referee coaches I was able to build confidence which would lead me to referee at the European Touch Championships in August 2014.
How did the Euros go?
The Euros is where I was given my first real opportunity to gain independent experience in refereeing and at the very highest level. To referee the best players in Europe was something so many young referees aspire to and to be able to do that was a real honour.
To then take control of the under 18s final in front of a full crowd at Swansea University was an experience that words can't describe. It's definitely one of the highest rating moments of my sporting career.
So what's your message to young people that are considering getting on the referee pathway?
To anyone that wants to go down refereeing, in any sport, ask around, find the course and do it. The people you meet and the experiences on offer are unbelievable and is worth all the work. And the younger you start the more understanding you'll get and it will also improve your own playing performance.
Finally what's your goals for refereeing over the next two years?
My goal is to referee the next Euros and hopefully become a known name to stake a claim for the 2019 World Cup. I also want to help any junior referees coming through the ranks in Wales.
Hobbs agrees that Jac could be selected for future international events;
"We hope Jac continues with his referee development, assisting at both local level as well as gaining international recognition by attending the 2016 European Championships and who knows, maybe the 2019 World Cup in Malaysia."
The Academy's main aim was to identify, train and mentor the young referees required to officiate at the first ever Junior European Touch Championships in August 2014.
Kevin Hobbs explains;
"Jac attended a Touch Europe Referee Academy course having been first introduced to Touch through his school's sport and leisure officer. Jac was able to put his sporting ability to good use - his speed, fitness and willingness to learn helped him to quickly pick up officiating in a sport relatively new to him."
Having had a fantastic first year of officiating Touch, we caught up with Jac to ask about his experiences as a junior referee.
Jac, how and when did you get involved in refereeing Touch?
I got involved in refereeing through Ysgol Y Strade School in February last year, when an opportunity to take a course came up and offered the opportunity to referee at high level. It just seemed to be too good an opportunity to turn down.
Had you refereed before?
I had refereed a few low level rugby league games before, but going on the course and refereeing at the English CTS (Challenge Touch Series - England's second-tier national club series) was my first real experience of refereeing.
Tell us about your experience at CTS?
At CTS I was assigned to referee along side another academy referee, Jake Hill, who was already more experienced than myself so learning from him and with guidance of the referee coaches I was able to build confidence which would lead me to referee at the European Touch Championships in August 2014.
How did the Euros go?
The Euros is where I was given my first real opportunity to gain independent experience in refereeing and at the very highest level. To referee the best players in Europe was something so many young referees aspire to and to be able to do that was a real honour.
To then take control of the under 18s final in front of a full crowd at Swansea University was an experience that words can't describe. It's definitely one of the highest rating moments of my sporting career.
So what's your message to young people that are considering getting on the referee pathway?
To anyone that wants to go down refereeing, in any sport, ask around, find the course and do it. The people you meet and the experiences on offer are unbelievable and is worth all the work. And the younger you start the more understanding you'll get and it will also improve your own playing performance.
Finally what's your goals for refereeing over the next two years?
My goal is to referee the next Euros and hopefully become a known name to stake a claim for the 2019 World Cup. I also want to help any junior referees coming through the ranks in Wales.
Hobbs agrees that Jac could be selected for future international events;
"We hope Jac continues with his referee development, assisting at both local level as well as gaining international recognition by attending the 2016 European Championships and who knows, maybe the 2019 World Cup in Malaysia."
 Jac (wearing medal) joins the referee team at the opening ceremony of the 2014 European Touch Championships at Swansea University.  Jac refereeing at the Junior Challenge Series, July 2014 | The Junior Referee Academy is currently accepting nominations for the 2015 team. Anyone interested in joining the JRA must be aged 14 to 18 and in the first instance contact them via the European Federation of Touch website here. The Junior Referee Academy is one of the All Schools Touch Championships main partners and will be represented at the tournament taking place at Ysgol Y Strade, Llanelli, Wales on the 9-10 July 2015. Team registration is now open for all secondary schools and FE colleges. Further information on team registration is available here Further information about refereeing at the tournament will be announced shortly. We are hoping to be able to offer upgrades to Level 1 at the tournament and Level 2 at the Wales Touch Series which takes place at the same venue on Saturday 11 July (NB - badge upgrades are subject to assessor availability and will be confirmed in due course here) |
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