Referees and Officials Resources
Referees and Officials Resources
About Refereeing in Ulster
The content of this page is primarily for the use of members of the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees (USRFR: The Society). Rugby in Ulster is officiated by members of the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees.
The report of the Society for the 24-25 season may be found here.
Members' Privacy Notice
The Society’s policy on personal information held for its members can be found here:
Office Holders
As with every volunteer organisation we operate on a strong base of individuals working together to contribute to the running of the society and playing our part in the structures of Ulster Rugby.
Click here for Office Holders 2025/26
USRFR Rules Regulations
A copy of the latest Rules & Regulations for the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees can be found here:
Meetings
Refereeing can be described as an art rather than a job; it is dynamic and tactile whilst needing empathy with the players and strength of resolve to control a potential volatile environment. The society operates a number of meetings, training sessions and workshops throughout the province to develop the skills and knowledge needed to efficiently manage a game of Rugby. Many of these are open to any rugby lover to attend.
Click here to learn more about our society meetings
Grade
The level of game a match official may take on and be selected for is set by an experienced panel of performance assessors/evaluators. These grades are reviewed bi-annually and are based on the analysis of referees’ performance under evaluation.
History
Over the years this society has contributed, and still supplies, some of the best referees in Europe if not the world.
Resources
Affiliated Club & School Referees
It is IRFU Policy that all matches from U13 upwards are refereed by:
- Branch Referees or
- Club & School Affiliate Referees
Club & School Affiliate Referees are not Branch Referees. They are club or school members who are qualified to referee matches involving their own club or school where no branch referee is available or has not been appointed. They usually referee underage games and provide an important function in servicing the game at this level in their club or school.
Guidance for USRFR referees who are approached to undertake games for their affiliated club or school may be found here.
The IRFU Affiliate Referee Course is now available online via the IRFU’s online education platform, Gainline.
For further information on how to access the course please visit IRFU courses.
Discussion Forum
The Discussion Forum for USRFR members is now available via Facebook.
Members are encouraged to share news, discussion points, photos and videos. The forum is the ideal source for topical discussion and quick access to information on issues or changes affecting our role as referees.
Please note this is a Closed Forum which may only be accessed by current USRFR members.
Members are reminded that only relevant and appropriate information should be submitted. Content is managed by Society administrators and anything deemed inappropriate will not be approved for upload to the forum.
Any queries regarding operation of the forum should be directed to the society administration team via the Honorary Secretary of the Society.
Access the forum here: USRFR Members FaceBook Group
Members who have not yet signed up for the forum can request access via the above link.
Society members should familiarise themselves with and follow IRFU social media policy which may be found here.
Members Directory
Due to the GDPR guidance principles referee contact details are generally no longer publicly available.
Those referees who have agreed to their numbers being published are found here
For the benefit of Clubs & Schools and Society Members, if a fixture is altered and an evaluator has been allocated to that fixture, good practice would be to inform that Evaluator whose contact details may be found here.
For any required contact details other than those in the linked materials please contact the Branch offices on (028) 9049 3222.
For Society members, 29th August our Hon Sec transmitted the latest available contact details for schools and clubs within compliance to GDPR. Protocol would dictate that your host reaches out to you prior to your fixture. However, we offer these contacts as a back up to ensure the fixture is live before you travel. Refer to the Email for more details.
Contact Us
The address for the society is c/o Ulster Rugby, Kingspan Stadium, 134 Mount Merrion Avenue, Belfast, BT6 0FT.
Honorary Secretary Barry O'Hara
Referee Development Manager Richard Kerr 07493 868388 richard.kerr@irfu.ie
LATE CRY-OFF In the event of a referee cry-off, the Branch voicemail 02890 494834 is picked up by staff at 9:30am on Saturdays. Back up the cry-off notice via email to Jill McCullough ASAP and alter your status on eSport: jill.mccullough@ulsterrugby.com
You must make every effort to speak with a support team member.
Further information may be found here.
Rob Weir has agreed to be a point of contact if any referee becomes unavailable to fulfil their selected fixture shortly before that fixture and if the Branch office is closed (Friday evening/early Saturday):
Rab Weir - 07772621603