PWR launch High Performance Referee Programme

The PWR and the RFU Match Official Team are launching the PWR High Performance Referee Programme to increase the number of female players staying in the game as match officials.

The programme aims to capitalise on England’s World Cup win and follows the launch of the Women’s High Performance Rugby Union Coach Review, which is working to remove barriers for women becoming coaches.

The referee programme is being led by Holly Wood, herself a former PWR player with Harlequins, who has now transitioned into refereeing both in the league and internationally.

“We want to drive change and positivity towards women’s rugby in England,” she said. “If you look at the landscape so far, we can deliver top quality playing on the pitch, with winning the World Cup.  

“We are really trying to bridge the gap in refereeing, so that all pillars of the game are covered, and that in the future England Rugby are the best union across match officiating, coaching and playing.

“The concept of the programme has been something I have been thinking about for the last 18 months.  

“I have reflected on my journey into refereeing from playing, and I have thought about what I needed or what would have been really good as an ex-player going into refereeing.

“While I will be leading the project and tying all of the threads together, there will also be coaching, mentoring and support hopefully coming from very experienced match officials who operate in the professional game across England to give that high-level coaching to players."

The overall aim of the programme is to increase the number of female referees across the game, with a view to ensuring a pipeline of female referees able to officiate at the highest level.

Players interested in joining the programme will be able to attend the Ready2Ref course, funded in collaboration with Impact ‘25, in January.

Before then, they can express their interest here.

Ready2Ref is a one-day course which provides an introduction to refereeing and allows players to explore whether refereeing is for them.

Players will then be asked to apply for the High Performance Referee Programme, and those selected will be supported by a paid scholarship which will provide:

• Officiating opportunities for between 2-4 matches per month
• Individual Development Plans
• Mentoring to provide pre-/post-match check-ins and game reviews

Wood added: “Each scholarship that would be granted to a player who wants to come onto the programme will be very bespoke to where they are in their playing journey and if they are balancing it with jobs as well.  

“We are ensuring that it is very player/referee-led in what that looks like to help them manage their time effectively, maintaining that playing is still the priority, but hopefully take away the admin and give them the extra support so they can potentially do both. We are looking at it being a paid scholarship, and that will be determined by how many games they are officiating."

Wood combines refereeing with working at a management company and being a mum to a young son.

And she believes that match officiating can help players achieve a positive work-life balance.

Furthermore, Wood acknowledges that the skills that players develop during their careers are invaluable when transitioning into refereeing.

“If you look at staying connected with the game, a lot of players think that coaching is the only option,” she said.

“But the time and commitment that coaching takes, in terms of management of people and training nights, refereeing allows you to have that time on your own, to concentrate on yourself in the week and then have one game a week that you gear up for.

“So, in terms of wanting to get a bit of time back from playing, refereeing does do that for you.

“It’s a viable career option. If you get to the professional game, which includes the PWR, the Champ and the Prem, and onto the international game in men’s or women’s, the financial gain is really beneficial, particularly alongside full-time or part-time work or having refereeing as your full-time job.

“There is a community as well. When I first started refereeing, I thought it would be quite isolating, but I have found a whole new rugby family, including people from all different walks of life.

“That kind of teamwork and support, you get that feeling which players can miss when they retire.

“I don’t think players take the time to think about what being a PWR player has done for them personally. Teamwork, resilience, and natural leadership are all things that you need to be a referee, and the high-performance mindset is crucial when you are aiming to get to the realms of international refereeing.

“That is something we want to unlock and make players realise.”