Training as a Club Referee involves the following modules:
Rules of Specification / The Play / Scores/ Powers and Duties of the Referee Technical Fouls / Set Play / Aggressive Fouls / Dissent / Referee’s Report / Rules Test / Fitness Test
Modules are “classroom” based and involve online participation by the prospective referees. A timed Rules Test is centrally organised by Croke Park, which the participants complete “on-line”, with a pass-mark set which must be achieved for successful progression.
An initial trial Fitness Test, i.e. a “BANGSBO or BEEP Test” will be organised at a later date, in order to familiarise new entrants with the levels required. A standard test will be used later in the year to monitor progression with a view to the achievement of a minimum standard required for qualification.
Following completion of the Training Course the successful candidate is certified as qualified by Coiste Ríaracháin Réiteoirí Contae Tiobrad Árann as a Club Level Referee. Newly qualified Foundation Referees will be appointed to referee games as allocated by the Referees Administration Committee.
With the growth in popularity of Gaelic Games, the demand for match officials is increasing. With over four thousand games being played in our county on an annual basis, the role of the referee is a particularly important cog of the wheel to ensure all games take place. However, we are seeing a drop in our current crop of officials, due to injury, work life balance and referees stepping away. During the last GAA season in 2025, a number of games had to be cancelled due to no referee available. This was very unfair to the clubs affected in these fixtures. Across all clubs in Tipperary, we have 11 clubs without referees. Our target is that every club has an active referee. We are at a crisis in Tipperary in relation to the number of qualified active referees.
Basic Club Referee Training Courses are provided every year by trained Referee Tutors in County Tipperary. Last year we trained 8 new recruits. The first two Modules will be completed online by the student in the comfort of their own home, while the next two modules will be completed as a group in Thurles. Timeframe for the course is late February / early March. The course is developed in conjunction with Croke Park and supported through the Provincial Munster Referees Administrators.
The Training Course is now open to interested candidates to register.
All clubs who do not currently have a referee in their club are encouraged to trawl their membership for prospective candidates. As pointed out, we have 11 clubs without an active referee.
Please forward on details of interested candidates to any of the following personnel listed below or e mail refereesadministrator.tipperary@gaa.ie
REFEREE RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE Philip Kelly Chairperson (North Division) 087 286 3683, Sean Bradshaw Secretary (West Division) 087 640 0538, Derek O Mahoney (South Division) 083 017 7891, John McCormack (West Division) 087 790 5630, Seamus Delaney (Mid Division) 087 639 6698, Peter Carroll (North Division) 087 912 4268.
Or from any member of the Referees Administration; Philip Kelly (Chairperson), Sean Bradshaw (Secretary) Franny Quinn (Divisional Administrator West), Keith Delahunty (Divisional Administrator South), Ciaran Timmons (Divisional Administrator North), Micheal Lowry (Divisional Administrator Mid)
More details on the GAA website
