Ref's Rule - August 2026

Thanks Neil Butler!

With the World Masters Championships being held here in Perth, spare a thought for the official Referees who are refereeing the matches.

They begin with the first match of the day and are still there at the last match, and then come back the next day and do it all over again.

I remember going to an Australian Junior Championship, and the Tournament Referee on the first morning allocating the referees to a court and announcing “That’s your court for the day.You will get a lunch break and if necessary, you can ask for a break to go to the toilet, but I would prefer if you did this between matches”.

I have been fortunate enough to have had the privilege of attending and officiating at a few World Championships during my involvement in the refereeing fraternity and you learn to block out negative comments and audience chit-chat that is going on around you when officiating over a match. 

You also learn to officiate from all parts of the stadium despite the best place being above the court just behind the back wall.

Your role as the Referee is to concentrate on the match and not have a conversation with a member of the audience at the same time.

Just like the player, the break between games is a time to collect your thoughts and do a bit of self-analysis on how the match is progressing and possibly reflect on some decisions that you have made, as well as keep the time and make sure the players return to court on time.

Players usually have a coach to talk to them during the break between games, but the Referee has to wait until the match is over before they might have a debrief with an assessor or the Tournament Referee. 

Having done that, the Referee is usually back in the chair, getting on with the next match.

So next time you are standing or sitting beside a Referee and they don’t engage in conversation, it is not that they are ignoring you, it is more the fact that they are concentrating on the match.

Wait until after the match if you wish to ask a question on a decision during the match.

So please spare a thought for the Referee who is allowing you to play your match, have a shower, have a drink and then wander around watching other matches. 

Rule of the Month

RULE 5.7.1 (The Serve)

The serve is good if the server drops or throws the ball from a hand or racket and strikes it correctly on a first or further attempt before it touches anything else.

Quote of the Month

“When it comes to intelligence, some people stop at nothing” 

– Anon.