Young rugby referees recognised in special Parc Eirias ceremony
Forty Grŵp Llandrillo Menai students have gained refereeing qualifications this year and have officiated more than 1,300 games between them through a partnership with the WRU, RGC and the North Wales Society of Rugby Union Referees
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai students were recognised for achieving Welsh Rugby Union refereeing qualifications in a special ceremony at Parc Eirias.
Over the 2024/25 academic year, 40 learners from Coleg Llandrillo, Coleg Menai and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor have qualified to officiate at various levels of the game.
This is as a result of a partnership between Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC) and the North Wales Society of Rugby Union Referees (NWSRUR).
During the course of the year, the students, who are all on sport courses, have refereed more than 1,300 games between them. These included Urdd primary school festivals, RGC secondary school competitions (including finals), RGC academy 15s games and community age-grade games.
Their course culminated with them refereeing at the finals of the RGC Community Cup, held at Parc Eirias over the May Bank Holiday weekend. The competition, for club age-grade teams, saw the learners put their skills to use in high-stakes games in front of more than 6,000 spectators over the four days.
All 40 learners gained their Level 1 qualification, seven achieved Level 2, and one attained Level 3 - the qualification needed to officiate at senior level.
To mark their achievements, they were invited to watch the finals of the RCG senior community competition from a hospitality suite at Parc Eirias, where the awards ceremony was held following the conclusion of the tournament.
Each of the partner organisations involved in the refereeing programme presented an award to one student, with the winners as follows:
NWSRUR Referee of the Year: Joseph Ryder
WRU Most Improved: Caio Thomas
RGC Refereeing in the Community Award: Aron Roberts
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai 'Unsung Hero' Award: Euros Williams
Special recognition: All of the above plus Dylan Bufton, George Clemence, Corin Jones, Owain Jones, Sam Mansell, Dave Owen, Dylan Owen, Jamie Owen and Joseph Wall.
All the winners also received a ticket to watch a senior Wales international game.
The courses were delivered by Ollie Coles, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai / WRU Rugby Engagement Officer, and Sean Brickell, WRU Referee Community Manager.
By refereeing games during the course of the academic year, the students not only developed their officiating skills, but also gained practical experience of working in a sports environment to complement their college courses and prepare them for their future careers.
Many used their experience to count towards the community aspect of their Welsh Baccalaureate qualification, while also developing important life skills such as decision-making under pressure, communication and people management skills, and building confidence and self-esteem.
Ollie Coles said: “Our referees program has been a shining example of the impact of WRU Hub Officers.
“All of the learners who have engaged with the program have been truly excellent ambassadors for their college and have seen great individual benefit from it. It was a pleasure to be able to recognise and celebrate their achievements and we look forward to seeing them continue to grow in the future.”
Tim Hoare, WRU/RGC Coach and Referee Development Officer, said: “The Grŵp Llandrillo Menai referees programme has been a resounding success, very well managed by Ollie Coles and supported by the college.
“The standard of the refereeing and the attitude of the participants has been excellent and a big boost to building the number and quality of referees within RGC.”
Paul Hughes, Chair of NWSRUR, said: “We have supported the development of these referees by providing refereeing kits, together with coaching support to those who wanted to move to the next level of their refereeing career. This has seen Grŵp Llandrillo Menai students being appointed to referee WRU National League fixtures.
“North Wales Society of Rugby Referees is committed to continuing to support Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s student referee programme to develop match officials and help facilitate rugby in Wales, while also allowing the students to achieve their refereeing goals.
“We thank all staff and management at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai for facilitating the student referee programme.”