PRESS RELEASE / Glendale, CO – Following the USA Rugby Board of Directors Q4 Meeting, the board has approved the terms of reference for the bylaw-required Referee & Laws Committee (RLC). The interim RLC working group is now seeking nominations for chair of the Referee & Laws Committee. As referees and officials are a vital element of the rugby community and a critical part to the growth plan, the assembly of this committee represents a positive step forward in 2021.
Established in the USA Rugby Bylaws, the RLC submits recommendations on policy regarding the Laws of the Game, and rulings on rugby law. The RLC also reviews the USA Rugby Referee budget and oversees matters concerning match official recruitment, retention, development, training, coaching, performance review, and elements of High Performance pathways.
The chair of the RLC is responsible for execution and oversight of the committee activities. The chairperson’s term is two years, and no individual may serve more than two successive terms as chair.
Interested candidates should come forward by taking these steps by January 31, 2021:
- Make themselves known to their Local Referee Organization (LRO) chair and to John Clavin (jclavin@usa.rugby); and
- Complete and submit the Nomination Form.
All LRO Chairs will meet as a group on February 20, 2021, to elect the nominee for Chair of the RLC from the candidates received through a simple majority vote of approval. A final elected nominee is to be ratified by the CEO of USA Rugby, Ross Young.
The RLC will include representatives from the referee community, the international athlete community, and each of the USA Rugby National Councils, with the goal of ensuring the RLC represents and serves the rugby community as a whole. The Senior Club, Collegiate, Youth & High School and International Athlete Councils have each been invited to appoint their representative on the RLC.
The Committee will initially be composed of 16 members, with a majority composed of members from the refereeing community who are registered as “Referee” with USA Rugby. The initial committee roles are as follows:
- Chair and Vice Chair
- Four members representing each of the USA Rugby National Councils – Youth & High School, Collegiate, Senior Club and International Athlete
- Nine Regional Members as nominated by LROs in the following regions – Atlantic North, Midwest, Pacific South, Red River, Mid Atlantic, South, Pacific North, Frontier and At Large
- Communications Director – this non-voting role will execute clerical duties for the committee during meetings and activities
LRO Chairs across the country have been working to nominate the nine regional representatives to the RLC, with the goal of ensuring the committee fully represents referee organizations from across the USA and positively supports the community as a whole. With nominations nearly complete, the process expects to finalize by mid-January. USA Rugby looks forward to seating the RLC and working with the greater referee community to support the growth and development of rugby in the United States.