The Wellington Rugby Referee’s Association – the history

The story begins 123 years ago, in 1894. This was the year that the New Zealand Rugby Union established a Referee’s Association based on the rules and papers of the Queensland Referees Association.

The first Branch of the New Zealand Referee’s Association (as it was called) was established in Nelson in May 1894. This was closely followed by Marlborough and then by Wellington, on the 25th of May of that year.

As was reported in the press, “it was formally decided to form a Wellington Branch on the motion of Mr de Costa, seconded by Mr Hodgings who was appointed the local Secretary.” (Mr Alfred de Costa was a Wellington sharebroker, a member of the Wellington Football Club, an Officer of the New Zealand Rugby Union and a renowned baritone singer).

The Evening Post noted … “the formation of the Branch would probably result in a large number of old players whose services would be of great value, coming forward and joining the Branch.It was very desirable that all gentlemen of position and responsibility, who were interested in the welfare of football and acquainted with the rules, should come forward to the assistance of the Association."

The important point to note from this historic development, is that Wellington was a Branch of the New Zealand Referee’s Association, which was established under the protective umbrella of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The Branch became known as the “Wellington Referee’s Association”.

In that early era, the practice was for the two competing teams in any given game, to agree on a referee and obtain his consent to act as referee for their fixture, with such agreement and consent notified to the Secretary of the Association, no later than four days before the match. In the event of no such notification being received, the Association then selected the referee.

In principle, the Association existed as a group to recruit and train referees, to assist the enjoyment of the game and help develop the competency of players, rather than as an entity to make appointments for fixtures.

In order to emphasise this point, in 1896, an application by Wellington’s Clubs was made to the New Zealand Rugby Union to seek the Union’s agreement that any Association appointment to a fixture was not binding, unless there was mutual consent with the teams involved.

In response, the New Zealand Rugby Union confirmed that a referee was to be “mutually agreed upon”; and a Club could not “be compelled to accept a referee who is distasteful to it”.

As a result of this ruling, the fledgling Association threatened to disband; but it wisely did not. It did however, resolve to not appoint substitute referees where an appointment it made, was rejected by a Club. In 1898, the Secretary of the Association reported that the Poneke Club had informed him that it objected to Mr G Fache acting as referee in any of its engagements. This was followed by a letter from the Kia Ora Football Club objecting to a member of the Association officiating in its matches. And so it continued.

To clarify what was clearly an unsatisfactory situation, in 1899, the Association established a sub-committee with the object of devising a scheme for the classification of referees and also for the appointment of officials.

In 1900, both an Appointments Committee and an Examination & Classification Committee were formed. In 1901, the Association had also formed a Qualifications Committee. However, the establishment of more and more committees appeared to do little to satisfy the concerns of the Clubs.

In 1906, the Petone Club rejected the referee appointed for their competition match.

In the 1907 season, a Senior Club questioned the right of the Association to make appointments to any games at all; the result being a suggestion from Club delegates to set up a new Appointments Board, controlled by the Union, comprising representatives from the Union and the Association, and players. Initially a group of seven, it quickly became a group of three, with only one voice from the Association.

By agreeing to the establishment of the new Appointments Board, the Association was granted the sole right to classify referees, through the establishment of a new Classification Committee.

However, later that season the entire Classification Committee resigned given its inability to have the Association’s referee classifications carried over into weekly appointments.

In July 1910 it was reported that “… there is trouble brewing between the Wellington Referees' Association and the Wellington Rugby Union. The appointment of referees for championship matches is the cause of the trouble.”

Matters were brought to a head in 1913, when the Association complained to Wellington Rugby’s Management Committee, that the Appointments Board was meeting on a Saturday to determine the referee appointments for the following week, before the Association itself met on the following Monday.

Matters were brought to a head in 1913, when the Association complained to Wellington Rugby’s Management Committee, that the Appointments Board was meeting on a Saturday to determine the referee appointments for the following week, before the Association itself met on the following Monday.

This resulted (in May 1914) in the Referees Association engaging in its own protest, with a number of referees not keeping their appointments as allocated by the Appointments Board.

By mid-year, it was reported that “the Association is, according to the Chairman, at the present time practically on the verge of dissolution, in consequence of alleged unfair methods of the Appointments Board."

The Association requested that the Rugby Union remove itself from making appointments. The Union refused. On the 3rd of July, the Association, at a specially convened meeting, decided to issue an ultimatum to the Wellington Rugby Union. The effect of this ultimatum was that unless the Appointments Board was reconstructed in accordance with the Association’s demands, the members of the Association would refuse to act as referees.

In response, the Rugby Union inserted an advertisement in all local newspapers asking those willing to control games to forward their names to the Rugby Union’s Secretary directly. Some 68 names were handed in.

With no fall-back position, the Association’s Chairman, Mr D. McKenzie, suggested that the best course for the Association would be to go into voluntary retirement for the “time being”.

The first Saturday which followed the initiation of the Association's campaign of inactivity brought nothing remarkable; there were no exhibitions of incompetence on the part of the old players who emerged from their retirement to take the whistle and it was reported that there was “no dislocation of play”.

In fact, the Evening Post trumpeted that “… the Rugby Union is taking steps to form these volunteer referees, into a new association, which shall replace the old, and at last night's meeting of the Management Committee it was decided to call a meeting for that purpose.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

This meeting was duly held, in the YMCA Rooms, with between thirty and forty present, including a good many members of the former Association, which had met in private earlier in the evening. Mr Everett Hales, Chairman of the Wellington Rugby Union, was elected to the Chair.

On the Chairman's motion, it was decided to form an association, to be called "The Wellington Rugby Referees' Association."

Mr. E. Wylie was elected Chairman, and Mr. L. Simpson Vice-Chairman. A committee of three, to replace the old Classification Committee, was appointed. Mr. T. H. Jones was appointed secretary and treasurer of the association and the Association’s representative on the Referees' Appointment Board. And so, “The Wellington Rugby Referee’s Association” was formed on 21 July 1914.

In summary, while rugby refereeing was certainly established in Wellington in 1894, the centenary of this Association “The Wellington Rugby Referees Association” actually occurred, on Monday, July 21, 2014.

It should be recognised that the birth of the present Association arose from a long-term dispute between its members and the Rugby Union (representing the Clubs and players).

This Association was formed to ensure that there was (and continues to be) a strong alignment between the interests of both groups, with overall power resting with the Rugby Union.

It is noteworthy to observe that the first Chairman was a member of the Management Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The story begins 123 years ago, in 1894. This was the year that the New Zealand Rugby Union established a Referee’s Association based on the rules and papers of the Queensland Referees Association.

The first Branch of the New Zealand Referee’s Association (as it was called) was established in Nelson in May 1894. This was closely followed by Marlborough and then by Wellington, on the 25th of May of that year.

As was reported in the press, “it was formally decided to form a Wellington Branch on the motion of Mr de Costa, seconded by Mr Hodgings who was appointed the local Secretary.” (Mr Alfred de Costa was a Wellington sharebroker, a member of the Wellington Football Club, an Officer of the New Zealand Rugby Union and a renowned baritone singer).

The Evening Post noted … “the formation of the Branch would probably result in a large number of old players whose services would be of great value, coming forward and joining the Branch.It was very desirable that all gentlemen of position and responsibility, who were interested in the welfare of football and acquainted with the rules, should come forward to the assistance of the Association."

The important point to note from this historic development, is that Wellington was a Branch of the New Zealand Referee’s Association, which was established under the protective umbrella of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The Branch became known as the “Wellington Referee’s Association”.

In that early era, the practice was for the two competing teams in any given game, to agree on a referee and obtain his consent to act as referee for their fixture, with such agreement and consent notified to the Secretary of the Association, no later than four days before the match. In the event of no such notification being received, the Association then selected the referee.

In principle, the Association existed as a group to recruit and train referees, to assist the enjoyment of the game and help develop the competency of players, rather than as an entity to make appointments for fixtures.

In order to emphasise this point, in 1896, an application by Wellington’s Clubs was made to the New Zealand Rugby Union to seek the Union’s agreement that any Association appointment to a fixture was not binding, unless there was mutual consent with the teams involved.

In response, the New Zealand Rugby Union confirmed that a referee was to be “mutually agreed upon”; and a Club could not “be compelled to accept a referee who is distasteful to it”.

As a result of this ruling, the fledgling Association threatened to disband; but it wisely did not. It did however, resolve to not appoint substitute referees where an appointment it made, was rejected by a Club. In 1898, the Secretary of the Association reported that the Poneke Club had informed him that it objected to Mr G Fache acting as referee in any of its engagements. This was followed by a letter from the Kia Ora Football Club objecting to a member of the Association officiating in its matches. And so it continued.

To clarify what was clearly an unsatisfactory situation, in 1899, the Association established a sub-committee with the object of devising a scheme for the classification of referees and also for the appointment of officials.

In 1900, both an Appointments Committee and an Examination & Classification Committee were formed. In 1901, the Association had also formed a Qualifications Committee. However, the establishment of more and more committees appeared to do little to satisfy the concerns of the Clubs.

In 1906, the Petone Club rejected the referee appointed for their competition match.

In the 1907 season, a Senior Club questioned the right of the Association to make appointments to any games at all; the result being a suggestion from Club delegates to set up a new Appointments Board, controlled by the Union, comprising representatives from the Union and the Association, and players. Initially a group of seven, it quickly became a group of three, with only one voice from the Association.

By agreeing to the establishment of the new Appointments Board, the Association was granted the sole right to classify referees, through the establishment of a new Classification Committee.

However, later that season the entire Classification Committee resigned given its inability to have the Association’s referee classifications carried over into weekly appointments.

In July 1910 it was reported that “… there is trouble brewing between the Wellington Referees' Association and the Wellington Rugby Union. The appointment of referees for championship matches is the cause of the trouble.”

Matters were brought to a head in 1913, when the Association complained to Wellington Rugby’s Management Committee, that the Appointments Board was meeting on a Saturday to determine the referee appointments for the following week, before the Association itself met on the following Monday.

Matters were brought to a head in 1913, when the Association complained to Wellington Rugby’s Management Committee, that the Appointments Board was meeting on a Saturday to determine the referee appointments for the following week, before the Association itself met on the following Monday.

This resulted (in May 1914) in the Referees Association engaging in its own protest, with a number of referees not keeping their appointments as allocated by the Appointments Board.

By mid-year, it was reported that “the Association is, according to the Chairman, at the present time practically on the verge of dissolution, in consequence of alleged unfair methods of the Appointments Board."

The Association requested that the Rugby Union remove itself from making appointments. The Union refused. On the 3rd of July, the Association, at a specially convened meeting, decided to issue an ultimatum to the Wellington Rugby Union. The effect of this ultimatum was that unless the Appointments Board was reconstructed in accordance with the Association’s demands, the members of the Association would refuse to act as referees.

In response, the Rugby Union inserted an advertisement in all local newspapers asking those willing to control games to forward their names to the Rugby Union’s Secretary directly. Some 68 names were handed in.

With no fall-back position, the Association’s Chairman, Mr D. McKenzie, suggested that the best course for the Association would be to go into voluntary retirement for the “time being”.

The first Saturday which followed the initiation of the Association's campaign of inactivity brought nothing remarkable; there were no exhibitions of incompetence on the part of the old players who emerged from their retirement to take the whistle and it was reported that there was “no dislocation of play”.

In fact, the Evening Post trumpeted that “… the Rugby Union is taking steps to form these volunteer referees, into a new association, which shall replace the old, and at last night's meeting of the Management Committee it was decided to call a meeting for that purpose.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

This meeting was duly held, in the YMCA Rooms, with between thirty and forty present, including a good many members of the former Association, which had met in private earlier in the evening. Mr Everett Hales, Chairman of the Wellington Rugby Union, was elected to the Chair.

On the Chairman's motion, it was decided to form an association, to be called "The Wellington Rugby Referees' Association."

Mr. E. Wylie was elected Chairman, and Mr. L. Simpson Vice-Chairman. A committee of three, to replace the old Classification Committee, was appointed. Mr. T. H. Jones was appointed secretary and treasurer of the association and the Association’s representative on the Referees' Appointment Board. And so, “The Wellington Rugby Referee’s Association” was formed on 21 July 1914.

In summary, while rugby refereeing was certainly established in Wellington in 1894, the centenary of this Association “The Wellington Rugby Referees Association” actually occurred, on Monday, July 21, 2014.

It should be recognised that the birth of the present Association arose from a long-term dispute between its members and the Rugby Union (representing the Clubs and players).

This Association was formed to ensure that there was (and continues to be) a strong alignment between the interests of both groups, with overall power resting with the Rugby Union.

It is noteworthy to observe that the first Chairman was a member of the Management Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union.