Queanbeyan Whites' president makes plea amid 'embarrassing' rugby referee abuse

In an open letter posted on the club website and their social media accounts, Grant Jones committed the club to making a concerted effort to stamp out referee abuse after "reports of incidents" from junior to senior rugby.

"One incident has seen a match official walk away from the game which is not only something that we cannot afford but also embarrassing for us as a club to contribute to," Jones wrote online.

"This being the case, it is imperative that we look after the ones that we do have and treat them with the respect they deserve, because as we all know, without them, we simply do not have a game."

In the statement Jones vowed the club would "take action" against those guilty of abusing match officials, and went a step further in recruitment efforts, encouraging players past and present, parents, and fans to referee, with additional incentive for players.

The club will be reimbursing registration fees in full to those players or the parents of junior players that register with the referees association, complete minimum requirements and officiate at least three matches at any level.

"If you do not fall into this category but are interested in giving it a go, we would be happy to talk to you about how we can support you in doing so," the statement read.

Jones said that rugby, like many other codes in community sport, is having difficulty with the lack of match officials available any given week.

The club president was not willing to reveal the incident or referee in question that prompted his open letter but did confirm it had already delivered a new referee sign-up - a coach.

"It's quite rare unfortunately for the players to also referee," Jones told The Canberra Times.

"People that come from club land who experience referees maybe not being treated all that well, for them to then put themselves in that position, it's quite a big step. It's difficult.

"I would like to think that referee abuse and dissent is not something that stands in the way, but you only have a look at the people that do decide to walk away to know that it is an issue.

"It would be fair to say that [Queanbeyan Whites] may not have always had the best reputation when it comes to treatment of match officials. I don't think we're the only club.

"But this is just a small thing not only saying thank you, but just acknowledging that we understand what they're going through, and that we want to be better and do better."

It's an extraordinary admission, especially from a code which prides itself from grassroots to professionals on being courteous and respectful towards match officials.

"I still think that we are better than some of the other football codes or some of the other sports in how we treat our match officials," Jones said.

"But it's isolated incidents like this that might stick with people and be a reason that people walk away from it or don't put their hand up in the first place."

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