USA's GAME System for refs

The USA Rugby Referees National Panel Development Group announced today the introduction of an unique approach to evaluating and developing referees called The GAME System.

The GAME System, which was presented at the National Panel Referees and Evaluators meeting held in Atlanta earlier this month, consists of two-tiered scoring of referee non-compliances and referee performance indicators. The Goals And Measurements Evolution (GAME) System was innovated by USA Rugby Referees’ National Panel Manager, Richard Every, and co-developed with USA Rugby’s Referee Director Ed Todd, and referees Don Morrison, Mike Cobb and Chris Henshall.

The system accurately identifies a referee’s strengths, trends, and areas that require development, as well as a similar utility for evaluator’s performance and trends. For the first time, both referees and evaluators can benefit from one system and progress and grow as it extends knowledge throughout the group. It creates an environment of global accountability, as well as opportunity as it establishes who the top performing referees and evaluators are. In addition, this system directs development towards what all team coaches and players expect from referees - consistency.

The GAME System has also been developed into an easy-to-use online format with the software program created by A4 Tech Solutions Inc. (A4TechSolutions.com) and Richard Every. This central portal allows for a base where top referees and support teams have access to an all-transparent system where data is captured in a streamlined auto-generating report that calculates scores and performances.

“This system can be used at any level across the globe and may finally represent the ideal solution that allows the entire rugby officiating community to drive success. It also compares and calculates performance averages of referees, evaluators and teams per competition,” said Every.

“The system is a major advance in rugby and may have utility to the IRB and many other countries,” Ed Todd added.
 
For more information on the USA Rugby Referee Department, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/referees. For further details on The GAME System, please contact revery@usarugby.org