A referee’s experience hits the right notes across the codes

This week ACME Whistles and the Rugby Football League (RFL) launched a new campaign to help rugby fans across the country get to know what life as a referee is truly like.

Beyond the Whistle, a 40 min documentary followed the top referees in the UK overseeing Rugby League with not only unprecedented access to their stories, but also the chance to follow the country’s top officials behind the scenes at Wembley and the biggest games of the season.

Yet, the power of the film has reached across the codes with international referees around the world not only showing their support but also acknowledging clear similarities between the two codes.

One referee to show his support for the new film was Ben O’Keeffe. He added: “Fantastic insight into a world only a few get to see behind the scenes and the impact it has on individuals and their families.

“What a great group of men and lots of similarities in terms of commitment, passion for the game that union referees experience.

“Thanks for sharing, it helps match officials in all sports.”

The film explores the camaraderie and the rivalry of refereeing; the personal journeys of some of the top officials from those at the start, to others at the end of a long professional career.

Phil Bentham, head of match officials at the Rugby Football League said; “It’s been a privilege to invite the team from ACME Whistles behind the curtain to see the work every referee puts into the game.

“Refereeing at the top level takes dedication, hard work, commitment and most importantly a passion for the game.

“These are highly skilled, fit and dedicated individuals who work as a high performing team. We talk about the referee, but there is no way they can perform without the support of the touch judges, the video referee, the reserve officials – everyone within that dressing room pulling in one direction.”

In the film, Tony Sutton, former CEO of Rugby Football League, added: “When you see these guys every day, you see how much training goes into it. It’s not just about the 80 minutes on pitch on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday.”

What began as a film to educate and inspire fans about what goes into officiating became something more. It allowed the world’s top referees to tell their story, open up and bring fans into their world.

On the film, elite referee Chris Kendall said; “I think there's a popular misconception that we don't love the game and that we want to be the centre of attention, whereas that couldn't be further from the truth.”

The film explores the rivalry between Chris and Liam Moore over the 2023-2024 season. During filming Liam said; “I'd say the competition between me and Chris is healthy. But that doesn't mean to say that I don't want to be the one who finishes on top at the end of the season!”

Having been immersed in the world of refereeing for over 12 months, Executive Producer of Beyond the Whistle, and sales and marketing director of ACME Whistles, Ben McFarlane, added; “We set out to give fans an insight into the world of a referee – but what we have ended up with is far more powerful.

“It was a privilege to fully immerse ourselves in the world of the referees. It was not only the unwavering professionalism of the referees that struck us, but their dedication to constantly evaluate and improve as a team. Rather than one person behind the whistle it was a team effort – the referees all succeeded as a unit, together.”

To watch the new film, log on here on Thursday to watch the full film: https://www.youtube.com/@ukrugbyleague

To find out more about our partners at ACME whistles, visit www.acmewhistles.co.uk