IRFU Affiliate Referee Policy (Effective from July 1st 2026 for the Season 2026/27)

It is IRFU policy that all rugby matches played under the Laws of the Game (incl. U19 Variations) are refereed by:

• Members of the Provincial Branch Referee Associations/Society

  or

• IRFU Affiliate Referees (appointed by their club / school).

  AFFILIATE REFEREE CRITERIA

• Aged 16 and under the age of 60
• Hold a current IRFU affiliate referee qualification
• Appointed by a school or club, to which they are affiliated, to referee a match or training session, in which that school or club is participating, home or away*
• It is the club or schools responsibility to ensure that all affiliate referees appointed, are qualified and suitable
• Appointed by a school or club, to which they are affiliated, to referee at a ‘blitz’ or similar tournament in which that school or club is participating*

• Any school or club with an affiliate referee aged 16 and under the age of 18 must meet the criteria below

  *Exception – Branch Development staff, who hold an affiliate referee qualification may, in the course of their duties, referee matches outside of their own club or school.

  AFFILIATE REFEREES AGED 16 AND UNDER THE AGE OF 18

• Affiliate referees aged 16 and under the age of 18, must only be appointed to games within their school or club at an agreed level. Regardless of ability, no affiliate referee will officiate a game at a higher age grade than identified. 

  Example:

• 16 year olds can referee up to U15 games.

• 17 year olds can referee up to U16 games.

  Referees must be appointed by their club / school to games that reflect their ability and not just linked to their age.

  ESSENTIAL COMMITMENT FROM SCHOOL OR CLUB

• Be familiar with IRFU Safeguarding Guidelines
• Ensure IRFU Safeguarding ‘Best Practice Guidelines are implemented
• Appoint a suitable delegate to attend every game refereed by an affiliate referee aged 16 and under 18 years of age to assist with monitoring of welfare of all those involved.
• The appointed delegate will also monitor the behaviour of players, coaches, parents etc towards the referee and act accordingly if necessary. 

• Club/School to ensure all safeguarding requirements have been met. 

  AFFILIATE REFEREES

• Are a refereeing resource within their own club/school only. Responsibility for their appointment rests with their club/school.
• Are not available for appointment to matches by the Branch Referee Association/Society.

• May also apply, if they wish, for full membership of their Provincial Referee Association/Society.

  QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

  IRFU Affiliate Referees qualify by:

• Registering on the IRFU e-learning platform, Gainline.
• Completing the Laws of the Game and Concussion Management for General Public modules on the World Rugby Passport portal.
• Completing the IRFU Affiliate Referee course through Gainline (this course will be available again on August 4th 2026)
• Qualification is valid for 2 years from date of course completion.

BENEFITS OF BEING AN AFFILIATED REFEREE

• IRFU third party liability insurance.
• Accreditation certificate with re-­‐validation (expiry) date.
• Registered on IRFU/Provincial database as an Affiliate Referee.
• Regular updates from the IRFU on changes to the Laws of the Game.

 OVERALL RATIONALE

• Improve refereeing standards.
• Address safety issues.
• Formalise the status of these referees.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Affiliate Referees must:
• Keep up to date on all Law Changes & Rulings (these are updated regularly on the Laws section of the IRFU site and on the World Rugby site).
• Ensure their re-­accreditation once qualification expires.
• Maintain appropriate fitness levels to allow them to safely officiate their assigned matches.

AFFILIATES REFEREES RETIREMENT POLICY

The rationale for the following policy is to meet the essential duty of care owed to, and to endeavour to ensure the health and safety of all participants, both match officials and players.

• It is IRFU policy that referees will not officiate past their 60th birthday.
• This policy extends to Affiliate Referees.
• It is recognised that there may be occasional exceptions where an affiliate referee demonstrates a continued high level of fitness and ability levels. Therefore, if a club/school is satisfied to appoint an affiliate referee to officiate after his/her 60th birthday, the affiliate referee must supply, to the club/school, a medical certificate indicating medical fitness to referee. This would be an annual requirement. In no case, however, should an affiliate referee be appointed past his/her 65th birthday.

AFFILIATE REFEREES SUSPENSION POWERS

• The table below outlines the suspension powers applicable to different referee roles in relation to temporary (sin bin) and permanent (sending off) suspensions.

• Role	Temporary Suspension	Permanent Suspension
  Affiliate Referee	No	Yes
  Branch Referee	Yes	Yes

  Use of Yellow and Red cards

  Affiliate Referees:

• Do not carry red and yellow cards. 
• Do not have the authority to use temporary suspension (sin bin) as a sanction.
• Can send a player off (permanent exclusion) if that player commits two offences which merit temporary suspension or if they commit a single act of foul play which meets a permanent exclusion threshold.
• At under 13 level a sending-off (permanent exclusion) is dealt with by way of compulsory substitution.
• All incidents of permanent exclusion must be reported to the Branch Disciplinary Officer.
• Members of the provincial referee association/society acting as affiliate referees for their club or school should not wear branch kit and are not to issue red or yellow cards.

Who appoints Affiliate Referees?

The responsibility for the appointment of Affiliate Referees lies solely with the club or school to which they are affiliated.

Can affiliate referees affiliate to more than one club or school?

No, Affiliate Referees can only affiliate to one club and/or one school.

What game can they referee?

They are appointed by the club or school to which they are affiliated. They can only referee games involving that club or school, home or away, age grade or adult.

Step 1 – Register on the World Rugby Passport site here, and complete the following modules:

• Laws of the Game – The module can be accessed here
• Concussion Awareness for General Public – The module can be accessed here

Step 2 – Complete the online Affiliate Course through Gainline – Click here to start the course (This course is currently closed and will re-open on the 4th August 2026)

When completed and verified you will receive your accreditation from the IRFU.

How long will my accreditation last?

Accreditation will last for 2 years from the date you achieve the qualification. For example, if you qualify on 1 October 2024 your accreditation will expire on September 30 2026.

Please note that from time to time you may need to undertake further training on important law changes or safety management to keep your accreditation active. You will be notified of this by email.

• Accreditation of referees they appoint must be in date. Qualification process can be completed at any time through the Gainline platform.
• Appoint their best available affiliate referees.
• Ensure sending-offs and other discipline matters are notified to their respective branch.
• Keep a record of appointments made.

Following best practice ensures a safer and better structured playing environment for players.