18 Sep Leinster Match Program Article 1

After another busy season in Leinster, the summer break was a welcome relief for all. At the end of last season Conor Byrne was elected President of the Leinster Rugby Referees taking over from David MacDonald.  Conor addressed the referees AGM after his election saying :

“I am indeed extremely honoured to be elected President of the Association of Referees Leinster Branch for the 2017/18 season an Association that has been an integral part of my life over many years.  Ours is an Association that is held in high esteem both far and wide and one which has and continues to make an extraordinary contribution to the very fabric of our sport.

We are an Association that sets high standards for ourselves and expect our membership to act as ambassadors of our Association with behaviour that is consistent with the rugby core values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect. These are values that I know all of us hold dear to our heart and ones which I will strive to both maintain and nurture during my tenure. One could only be but extremely proud to be President of such an Association.

As with my predecessor David MacDonald I too have inherited an extremely vibrant, motivated and forward-thinking Association and one which is averse to sitting on its laurels. Our Five Year Strategic Plan [2016-2020], the implementation of which through the stewardship of both Wayne Sheridan and David MacDonald is well underway, is an example of same.

I with the invaluable assistance and stewardship of our very strong Executive Committee and the exemplary work of our Standing Committees who cover Management, Rugby, Finance and Administration as well as the tremendous contributions from all our Area Representatives would aim to build upon progress made to date.

Further to this and in line with our Strategic Plan we will strive towards both resourcing and delivering upon an even more stream-lined and effective management of our invaluable referee resource throughout the grades and a continued and enhanced focus upon recruitment and retention and the critical ‘Cradle to Grave’ principle and the continued development of our club identity.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our members the very best for the 2017-18 season, wherever you officiate and in whatever capacity, and hope that you will continue to enjoy your participation, as well as being true ambassadors for the ARLB.”

We wish Conor a successful year in office.

The season kicked off with our annual seminar on August 20th in Old Wesley RFC. 160 plus referees attended the day, one of our largest attendances to date showing the increase popularity in refereeing within Leinster and the excellent work done by the IRFU Recruitment officers and area representatives.

Conor Byrne, President of the Leinster Rugby Referees, opened proceedings, welcoming the referees to another season and wishing them well. We were delighted to welcome David O’Brien to our meeting who conducted the pre-Season presentation and the key points and focus areas for referees this season. We also had some excellent presentations from Paul Haycock, and Kevin Beggs, who took a break from the TMO booth at the Womens Rugby World Cup.

We were delighted to see a large representation from Irish Referees at the Women’s World Cup. Congratulations to Joy Neville from the Munster Association of Referees on a well refereed final and well done to Sean Gallagher on a successful tournament. We were of course saddened to see the withdrawal of Helen O’Reilly due to injury and we wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back on the pitch over the coming weeks.

We are looking forward to another great season.

The Leinster Referees always need more referees and opting to become one may be the best decision you’ve made for a long time. Feel free to make contact with the Leinster Rugby Referees through David O’Brien at david.obrien@irfu.ie

If you are interested in becoming a referee get in contact with us through our Facebook and Google + pages, our website www.arlb.ie or through twitter @leinsterreferee.