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IRFU Referees Kick Off Season With National Camp

Ireland Rugby Referee Training Camp & Headshots 9/8/2025

The IRFU Referee Department hosted their annual National Referee Camp at the IRFU High Performance Centre and Dunboyne Castle Hotel on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10^th August. Each year the camp heralds the start of the new season for members of the national referee panel, the group from which match officials for the Energia All-Ireland League and professional competitions are appointed.

The group assembled at the IRFU’s high-performance facility on the National Sports Campus on Saturday morning where they were put through their paces in a fitness session led by the IRFU Head of Athletic Performance, Nick Winkleman. After lunch those present participated in technical sessions covering the Laws of the Game, the Global Law Trials in place for the coming season, the continuation of the tackle height law trial for 2025/26, decision making under pressure, and the Principles of High Performance. The afternoon sessions were facilitated by Frank Murphy (High Performance Referee Coach), Peter Fitzgibbon (National Referee Manager), members of the High Performance Team, and the Referee Development Managers from the four provinces.

Following a busy day the attendees made the short journey to the Dunboyne Castle Hotel for a barbecue and social evening where new members of the panel were presented with their IRFU referee’s jersey. On Sunday morning the group were engaged with further technical sessions covering motivation and values, the IRFU Spirit of Rugby programme, and the Threat Matrix system from the Signify Group which is designed to protect players, coaches, and match officials from abuse through social media and other online platforms.

Dudley Phillips, IRFU Head of Referees commented,

“Across the weekend there was great energy and engagement evident in all the sessions. The Referee Department Staff put a huge amount of work into the planning and preparation for the camp which resulted in the highly interesting and diverse range of topics covered. Those that attended left with renewed energy and motivation for the long season that lies ahead”.

All of the match officials in attendance came through the provincial training and development programme which is designed to support referees at all levels, especially those who are taking up the whistle for the first time.

New Referee Courses will take place in several venues around the country in September. If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a referee you can find contact details for our Provincial Referee Development Managers here.