World Cup success for England referees

The huge success of England teams on the pitch was matched by Team Ref! 

As part of a team of 180 top-level officials, the 18 English referees more than held their own across the week, achieving many significant milestones.

These included the first European female referee – Scooby Watchorn – appointed to an Open division final, and the youngest ever Level 5 referee in Europe, Theo Edwards!

“The TWC was a wonderful experience for all of our referees and I’m incredibly proud of the professionalism and dedication they showed throughout the week,” says National Referee Manager, Jack Harris.

“With many of our referees receiving upgrades and finals appointments, we’ve shown how far we’ve come in the last four years.

“I’m especially proud of Scooby Watchorn, Gareth Hinds and Kevin Hobbs having received FIT gold badges for their dedication to the sport and are the first referees to receive the accolade in England.

“I know that a number of our developing referees have taken inspiration from our TWC contingent and I hope many of them will also receive international caps in the future. I am also very grateful that our trailblazing set of TWC referees have been more than willing to support many others in taking up the whistle.

“I would like to thank the FIT referees commission for their coaching and support and I cannot wait to see what the next four years holds for us.”

50 international caps reached: Layo Aromire, Oliver Exton, Fergal Evans, Jack Harris, Dan Harrison

Upgrades to Level 4: Matt Emerson, Chloe Spencer

Upgrades to Level 5: Mike Davis, Julian Edwards, Theo Edwards, Fergal Evans

Ranked and appointed to finals

Bronze Medal Finals: Jordi Bitlloch (XO), Dan Harrison (X30), Dominic Shaw (W35), Julian Edwards (M55)

Gold Medal Finals: Scooby Watchorn (WO), Gareth Hines (M30), Nicholas van de Rijt (W27), Kevin Hobbs (M45)