RFL match officials
The RFL Match Officials are a select group of professional Rugby League match officials who officiate the top divisions of Rugby League in Britain.[1]
Officials are required to take part in a Fitness Test to maintain and or gain their status.
Match Official Department Staff
Phil Bentham was re-appointed as the RFL's Head of Match Officials in February 2024.[2] He previously held this post on an interim basis between Jan-March 2021 while Steve Ganson was on leave.
Dave Elliot served as the interim Head of Match Officials between Jan-Dec 2023 while an internal investigation took place into the department, ran by Steve Ganson from 2016. This concluded with Ganson leaving the RFL by mutual consent in December 2023.[3]
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Phil Bentham | Head of Match Officials |
| Julian King | Grade 1 Referee Group Manager |
| Chris Kendall | Grade 2 Referee Group Manager |
| Andy Smith | Grade 1 and 2 Touch Judge Manager |
| Tom Grant | Grade 2 Referee Coach |
| Ben Thaler | Grade 3 Referee Group Manager |
| Marcus Griffiths | Women's Super League Squad Manager |
| Ryan Cox | Appointments and Development Officer |
| Matty Lynn | Match Officials Administrator |
Graded Match Officials
Source:[4]
To become an Elite match official, Grade 1 officials must have an interview with the Head of Match Officials.
| Grading | Referee | Touch Judge |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Super League, Championship and League 1 | Super League |
| Grade 2 | Academy and Reserves | Championship & League 1 |
| Grade 3 | National Conference League & Scholarship | Academy & Reserves |
Elite Referees (RFL Full Time Match Officials)
Source:[5]
Since the 2007 season, the Rugby Football League have employed a panel of full-time officials. That panel currently has nine members.
Current Full Time Match Officials Squad
Managed by Phil Bentham.
| Name | Society | Age | Year Appointed |
|---|---|---|---|
 Aaron Moore
|
Wigan | 27 years, 271 days | 2023 |
| Chris Kendall
|
Huddersfield | 33 years, 70 days | 2015 |
| Jack Smith
|
Wigan | 36 years, 177 days | 2022 |
| Liam Moore
|
Wigan | 30 years, 45 days | 2017 |
| Tara Jones
|
Warrington | 29 years, 33 days | 2025 |
| Tom Grant
|
Leeds | 31 years, 35 days | 2018 |
| Marcus Griffiths
|
Widnes | 31 years, 88 days | 2019 |
| Liam Rush
|
Dewsbury & Batley | 25 years, 55 days | 2022 |
.svg.png){kind=small} James Vella
|
St George Referees (Sydney, Australia) | 36 years, 67 days | 2022 |
Previous Full Time Match Officials
| Name | Society | Start | End | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Thaler
|
Wakefield | 2005 | 2024 | 19 years |
| James Child
|
Dewsbury & Batley | 2010 | 2022 | 12 years |
| Cameron Worsley
|
Mid Yorkshire | |||
| Robert Hicks
|
Oldham | |||
| Scott Mikalauskas
|
Leigh | 2021 | ||
| Greg Dolan
|
||||
| Phil Bentham
|
Warrington | |||
 Thierry Alibert
|
||||
| Joe Cobb
|
Widnes | |||
| Chris Campbell
|
Widnes | |||
| Steve Ganson
|
St Helens | |||
| George Stokes
|
St Helens | |||
| Ian Smith
|
Oldham | |||
| Richard Silverwood
|
Dewsbury & Batley | |||
| Ashley Klein
|
Leeds |
Elite Touch Judges (Super League)
Managed by Dave Elliot. By default the RFL Full Time Match Officials are graded as Elite Touch Judges.
| Name | Society | Name | Society | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton Arnold | St Helens | Tom Grant | Leeds | ||||
| Nick Bennett | Dewsbury & Batley | Marcus Griffiths | Widnes | ||||
| Dean Bowmer | Mid Yorkshire | Chris Kendall | Huddersfield | ||||
| Peter Brooke | Manchester | Aaron Moore | Wigan | ||||
| Ryan Cox | St Helens | Liam Moore | Wigan | ||||
| Mark Craven | Leeds | Liam Rush | Dewsbury & Batley | ||||
| Simon Ellis | Dewsbury & Batley | Jack Smith | Wigan | ||||
| Neil Horton | Mid Yorkshire | Tara Jones | Warrington | ||||
| Gareth Jones | Warrington | James Vella | St George Referees (Sydney, Australia) | ||||
| Paul Marklove | Warrington | Matty Lynn | Warrington | ||||
| Ellis McCarthy | St Helens | ||||||
| Scott Mikalauskas | Leigh | ||||||
| Jonathon Roberts | Leeds | ||||||
| Richard Thompson | Hull | ||||||
| Warren Turley | Leigh | ||||||
| Cameron Worsley | Mid Yorkshire | ||||||
| Alex Cameron | Huddersfield | Total Count = 25. Part Time = 16. | Full Time = 9. | ||||
Grade 1 Match Officials
Select Referees
Managed by Julian King & Chris Kendall.
| Name | Society | Name | Society |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denton Arnold | St Helens | Sam Jenkinson | Mid Yorkshire |
| Aaryn Belafonte | Huddersfield | Freddie Lincoln | Huddersfield |
| Nick Bennett | Dewsbury & Batley | Matty Lynn | Warrington |
| Alan Billington | Widnes | Scott Mikalauskas | Leigh |
| Luke Bland | Leeds | Bradley Milligan | Cumberland |
| Elliot Burrow | Barrow | Kevin Moore | Mid Yorkshire |
| Matty Clayton | Huddersfield | Michael Smaill | Leigh |
| Ryan Cox | St Helens | Andy Sweet | Mid Yorkshire |
| Will Gilder | Midlands & South West | Adam Williams | Wigan |
| Sam Houghton | Manchester | Cameron Worsley | Mid Yorkshire |
| Carl Hughes | Mid Yorkshire | Kristoff Young | Wales |
| Jordan Hughes | Barrow | ||
| Total Count = 23. | |||
Select Touch Judges
Managed by Steve Williams.
| Name | Society | Name | Society |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaryn Belafonte | Huddersfield | Matty Lynn | Warrington |
| Alan Billington | Widnes | Ollie Maddock | Warrington |
| Luke Bland | Leeds | Milo McKelvey | Huddersfield |
| Ben Brocklehurst | Mid Yorkshire | Bradley Milligan | Cumberland |
| Elliot Burrow | Barrow | Kevin Moore | Mid Yorkshire |
| Jamie Callaghan | St Helens | Lewis O'brien | Wigan |
| Alex Cameron | Huddersfield | Josh Pemberton | Warrington |
| Matty Clayton | Huddersfield | Oliver Salmon | Huddersfield |
| James Collier | Manchester | Lucas Seal | Barrow |
| James Collins | Midlands & South West | Gary Shaw | Wigan |
| Luke Flavell | Wigan | Joe Stearne | Mid Yorkshire |
| Tommy Gibbs | Mid Yorkshire | Andy Sweet | Mid Yorkshire |
| Will Gilder | Midlands & South West | Adrian Tallon | Hull |
| Aaron Giles | Barrow | Jordan Unsworth | Leigh |
| Sam Houghton | Manchester | Adam Williams | Wigan |
| Carl Hughes | Mid Yorkshire | Gareth Winnard | London & The South |
| Jordan Hughes | Barrow | Henry Winnard | London & The South |
| Sam Jenkinson | Mid Yorkshire | Peter Wroe | Midlands & South West |
| Tara Jones | Warrington | Kristoff Young | Wales |
| Freddie Lincoln | Huddersfield | ||
| Total Count = 39. | |||
Grade 2 Match Officials
Emerging Referees
Managed by Tom Grant.
| Name | Society | Name | Society | Name | Society | Name | Society |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tolver Arnold | St Helens | C Curren | Alex McDonald | Midlands & South West | Pete Smith | Armed Forces | |
| Mason Apsee | Wales | Craig Davies | Wales | Milo McKelvey | Huddersfield | Joe Stearne | Mid Yorkshire |
| Jack Bacon | Wigan | Simon Ellis | Dewsbury & Batley | Ryan Mitchell | Dewsbury & Batley | Adrian Tallon | Hull |
| Dylan Barlow | Wigan | Luke Flavell | Wigan | Lewis O'brien | Wigan | Warren Turley | Leigh |
| Oliver Bowie | Mid Yorkshire | Tommy Gibbs | Mid Yorkshire | Guy Pallet | Armed Forces | Gareth Winnard | London & The South |
| Dean Bowmer | Mid Yorkshire | Aaron Giles | Barrow | Neil Pascall | Leeds | Henry Winnard | London & The South |
| Ben Brocklehurst | Mid Yorkshire | Connor Griffiths | Warrington | Josh Pemberton | Warrington | Brandon Worsley | Mid Yorkshire |
| Feargus Brown | York | Neil Horton | Mid Yorkshire | Craig Regan | Barrow | ||
| Jamie Callaghan | St Helens | Owen Ireland | Warrington | Aidan Rhodes | Leeds | ||
| Alex Cameron | Huddersfield | Josh Kinsley | Hull | Oliver Salmon | Huddersfield | ||
| James Collier | Manchester | Danny Krout | London & The South | Reece Schofield | Manchester | ||
| James Collins | Midlands & South West | Phil Loeb | Warrington | Lucas Seal | Barrow | ||
| Matt Cowan | London & The South | Ollie Maddock | Warrington | Gary Shaw | Wigan | ||
| Anthony Creasey | London & The South | Paul Marklove | Warrington | Kristian Silcock | St Helens | ||
| Total Count = 49 | |||||||
Emerging Touch Judges
Managed by Ryan Cox.
| Name | Society | Name | Society | Name | Society |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason Apsee | Wales | Danny Frederick | Hull | Kieran O'Shea | London & South |
| Rob Apsee | Wales | Dan Geddes | Mid Yorkshire | Guy Pallet | Armed Forces |
| Innes Arnold | St Helens | Jordan Greenhalgh | Widnes | Neil Pascall | Leeds |
| Tolver Arnold | St Helens | Connor Griffiths | Warrington | Shaun Pickering | St Helens |
| Jack Bacon | Wigan | Lee Haggerty | St Helens | Simeon Quarmby | Huddersfield |
| Dylan Barlow | Wigan | Shea Harrison | Wigan | Craig Regan | Barrow |
| Ronan Bird | Widnes | Ryan Holmes | Dewsbury & Batley | Rhiece Rhodes | Huddersfield |
| Oliver Bowie | Mid-Yorkshire | Jamie Hooper | Mid-Yorkshire | Reece Schofield | Manchester |
| Liam Breheny | Wigan | Rhiannon Horsman | Leeds | S Shea | |
| F Brown | Owen Ireland | Warrington | Kristian Silcock | St Helens | |
| Paul Clayton | Mid Yorkshire | Liam Jones | St Helens | Adam Smith | Huddersfield |
| Lewis Corcoran | Wigan | Josh Kinsley | Hull | Pete Smith | Armed Forces |
| Andrew Coupar | St Helens | Danny Krout | London & South | B Thomas | |
| Matt Cowan | London & South | K Lewis | C Topping | ||
| George Cox | Hull | Phil Loeb | Warrington | Tyler Topping-Higson | Wigan |
| Ian Curzon | Wales | Andy Marsh | Wigan | Rebecca Whiteley | Huddersfield |
| C Davies | Megan Mills | Hull | A Woods | ||
| Rebecca Floyd | St Helens | R Mithchell | Jack Woolass | Hull | |
| Harry Forster | Mia Murphy | Leigh | Brandon Worsley | Mid Yorkshire | |
| Stuart Fraser | St Helens | Beth Neilson | Huddersfield | Esmai Wright | Warrington |
| Total Count = 60. | |||||
Grade 3 Match Officials
Entry Referees
Managed by Tom Grant.
| Name | Society | Name | Society | Name | Society |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Atherton | Wigan | Harry Forster | Logan Miles | Dewsbury & Batley | |
| T Bell | Jordan Greenhalgh | Widnes | M Mills | ||
| Jake Berry | Widnes | Liam Grundy | Dewsbury & Batley | Andrew Mulligan | St Helens |
| Ronan Bird | Leigh | Lee Haggerty | St Helens | Mia Murphy | Leigh |
| Matty Bolton | Barrow | S Harrison | Robbie Nevinson | Barrow | |
| N Bragg | Andy Hawley | Warrington | Tom Prescott | St Helens | |
| Liam Breheny | Wigan | Joby Hewitt | Mid Yorkshire | Shaun Pickering | St Helens |
| Micky Brighton | London & The South | Ryan Holmes | Dewsbury & Batley | Sam Price | Wigan |
| Dan Brown | Mid-Yorkshire | Jamie Hooper | Mid Yorkshire | Simeon Quarmby | Huddersfield |
| I Carson | Leigh | Rhiannon Horsman | Leeds | R Rhodes | |
| Steve Cockram | St Helens | S Powell | Matt Roberts | Bradford & Halifax | |
| L Corcoran | Liam Jones | St Helens | Dan Saunders | Leeds | |
| Andrew Coupar | St Helens | Naz Khan | Warrington | Adam Smith | Huddersfield |
| George Cox | Hull | Dylan Kindelan | Dewsbury & Batley | Dave Swindlehurst | Wigan |
| Lucas Dabbs | Leigh | Alex Leaf | Leeds | Tyler Topping-Higson | Wigan |
| J Davey | C MacDonald | Erin Watson | Huddersfield | ||
| F Evans | Andy Marsh | Wigan | A Woods | ||
| J Evans | Matthew Martin | Mid-Yorkshire | Jack Woolass | Hull | |
| O Filer | Ross McCarthy | St Helens | Esmai Wright | Warrington | |
| Rebecca Floyd | St Helens | Callum Murphy | Wigan |
| |
| Total Count = 59. | |||||
Entry Touch Judges
Managed by Ryan Cox.
| Name | Society | Name | Society | Name | Society |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Atherton | Wigan | Joby Hewitt | Mid Yorkshire | Adrian Tallon | Hull |
| T Bell | Naz Khan | Warrington | B Thomas | ||
| J Berry | Dylan Kindelan | Dewsbury & Batley | Erin Watson | Huddersfield | |
| M Bolton | Chris Lawson | London & The South | A Woods | ||
| Kyle Bonsor | Midlands & South West | A Leaf | |||
| N Bragg | C MacDonald | ||||
| Dan Brown | Mid Yorkshire | M Martin | |||
| I Carson | Leigh | Ross McCarthy | St Helens | ||
| Steve Cockram | St Helens | Logan Miles | Dewsbury & Batley | ||
| Lewis Collins | Midlands & South West | Callum Murphy | Wigan | ||
| Lucas Dabbs | Leigh | R Nevinson | |||
| J Davey | S Powell | ||||
| F Evans | Tom Prescott | ||||
| O Filer | Sam Price | Wigan | |||
| O Foulkes | Joe Raddings | Midlands & South West | |||
| J Foxon | Matt Roberts | Bradford & Halifax | |||
| Cameron Gray | London & The South | D Saunders | |||
| Liam Grundy | Dewsbury & Batley | Paul Strafford | Leeds | ||
| Andy Hawley | Warrington | Dave Swindlehurst | Wigan | ||
| Total Count = 44. | |||||
Kit suppliers and sponsors
| Period | Manufacturers | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|
| 2003-2006 | Patrick | Powergen |
| 2007 | Engage | |
| 2008-2009 | Puma | |
| 2010-2012 | ISC | |
| 2013 | none | |
| 2014 | Specsavers | |
| 2015-2017 | BLK | |
| 2018 | Hummel | |
| 2019-2020 | Ronseal | |
| 2021-2026 | Oxen |
See also
References
- ^ RFL. "RFL Match Officials". The RFL.
- ^ "Phil Bentham returns to Rugby League as RFL Head of Match Officials". RFL.
- ^ "Steve Ganson to quit as RFL Head of Match Officials". RFL.
- ^ "Rugby-League.com". www.rugby-league.com. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
- ^ "Full Time Match Officials | RFL". www.rugby-league.com. Retrieved 2022-08-18.