Club Ref Kennedy Gets Top Award

By Seamus Morris
Fingal Independent

SWORDS Rugby Club recently had the honour of one of its members receiving due recognition for their services to rugby. Stephen Kennedy has received the Harry Arnold Leinster Referee of the Year Award. The award is named in honour of the late Harry Arnold who died last year. Harry was a former referee and was heavily involved in the administration of the game in Leinster.

‘It's a big honour to get the award,' Stephen said. ‘There are 40 referees in Leinster. I'm refereeing now for 13 years, it was in '93 or '94 when I started. ‘We had no referee in the club. I'd already finished playing and I was doing the lines and bagman at the club, and I said that I'd put my name forward.'

Stephen didn't begin officiating until relatively late, a cause of some regret.‘Starting off late, if I had started earlier I might have had a chance of getting involved at All-Ireland League level, you know.' Something that seems particularly unique to the game of rugby is the tradition of total respect for the referee – it is most noticeable when compared to the treatment of the man in the middle in soccer. What does Stephen attribute this to? ‘It's inbred into the players (in rugby), and the laws, like Law 6 is ‘The referee's interpretation is fact and law', and it's respected by all the players and all the mentors.'

With some much experience, Stephen obviously has plenty of advice for any aspiring referees out there.‘Learn the laws, bring your personality with you, because you'll need it! You'll have some strange things happen, and just throw yourself into the job. You are actually refereeing both sides, you don't help favour any side; that also helps, because then people recognise, you know, this is how you become a good referee.'

It seems like good advice, commonsense that one would expect from such a respected official. It's what led to Stephen Kennedy deservedly receiving his award.