The Touch NZ Foundation Referee Course is the entry point into the referee pathway – ideal if you are just starting out as a referee with little or no experience. You may be a supportive parent, a player looking to improve your knowledge, or a new referee looking to support your local module. 

In this course, you’ll learn about all the fundamental skills and processes used when refereeing touch including the new FIT 5th Edition Playing Rules, recently adopted by Touch NZ. 

The course is delivered through Sport New Zealand’s Sport Tutor platform which also hosts the Touch NZ Coaching pathway online courses and several other courses of interest aligned to Sport NZ.

It is broken into ten e-learning topics and should take approx. 2 ½ hours to complete. There are videos and interactive elements included along the way, and checkpoints to test your knowledge and comprehension. You don’t have to complete it all at once. Work through it at your own pace. 

Remember, you aren’t expected to be an expert after finishing this course. That will come with time and experience. 

On successful completion of the course, the participant will receive a Touch NZ Foundation Referee course certificate (downloadable).

Course Topics 

- Topic 1 (Introduction) 

- Topic 2 (Role of the Referee) 

- Topic 3 (Possession) 

- Topic 4 (Touch & Rollball) 

- Topic 5 (Communication) 

- Topic 6 (Positioning) 

- Topic 7 (7M Zone & Try Procedure) 

- Topic 8 (Teamwork) 

- Topic 9 (Drop-off Procedure) 

- Topic 10 (Game Management) 

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The Practical Workshop: The course is over two days and is almost entirely practical.

The Practical Workshop is designed for:

• Referees who have completed the Touch NZ Foundation Referee Course – online, attended level 1 Referee Practical session and successfully passed the Level 1 Referee multi choice quiz. (Achievement of Level 1 Badge and held for a minimum of 10 - 12 months)
• Referees who have achieved their Level 1 badge prior to 2021 will need to complete and pass the Touch NZ Level 1 Badged refresher quiz as a prerequisite.
• Referees who wish to learn the fundamental practical skills of Refereeing
• Referees who wish to learn how to solve technique and application problems

Course Duration: 2 days – 6-8 hours each day

Course Presenters:

Touch NZ Experienced Referee Level 4/ Touch NZ Regional Director of Referees/Touch NZ Referee Coach L3 > who have been approved by the Touch NZ National Director of Referees and Touch NZ Director of Referee Training and Development

Practical Workshop Content:

• INTRODUCTION: This will incorporate a brief welcome by your course facilitator, quickly outlining the course, course helpers, admin duties, participant introductions, icebreakers etc.
• BASIC SKILLS REQUIREMENT: Where you will be introduced to every possible situation that you may likely face as a Referee.
• GAME ROLE PLAY: Where you will incorporate the various skills you have acquired from each grid and apply these skills to as real live situations as possible.
• CONCLUSION: Q & A, wrap up of the sessions and next steps from the two-day practical session ie: Online exam and on field assessment and National Tournament attendance and Endorsement s Process.

• GRIDS AND DRILLS:  These Grids and Drills should be viewed as your introduction to learning more skills you will need to acquire in order to continue to develop into first class referees.

     Each skill will be broken down into smaller components for you to understand and follow and as you master each component, you will then move on to the       next stage.

This course will also:

• Enhance progression to a high level as a Touch Referee;
• Increase future selection opportunities for Touch NZ tournaments;
• Assist entry into the Touch NZ Referee Coaching and Course Presenter programme; and
• A must regardless of the level the Referee wishes to aspire and all Referees who participate in the Touch NZ Referee training and development program should be encouraged to attend

Course Qualification:

• Attend both two (2) day level 2 Referee course
• Successfully complete Level 2 Referee course modules
• Successfully complete the Level 2 Referee online quiz (80% pass required with only two (2) attempts)
• Achieve a successful on field assessment through practical demonstration of Level 2 referee competency requirements at a Touch NZ National Championship.

Reward: Level 2 Referee Certificate (Blue) and Level 2 Referee Badge (Blue)

Course Resources available on the Sport Tutor platform:

• Level 2 Practical Workshop registration
• Level 2 Referee course modules
• Level 2 Referee Quiz
• Touch NZ Referee Signal videos and Referee TouchFit 360 video (warm up and warm down)

Thinking about advancing to Level 3 or Level 4 accreditation?

​​​​​​​You’ll find everything you need – including Upgrade Nomination forms and important policies – on our Referee Resources page. Take the next step in your refereeing journey today!