The power of one: an autoethnographic journey of a rugby union referee

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reveal the experiences the author encountered during one of his rugby union refereeing seasons.Design/methodology/approachWhen the author assumed the role of a senior referee in a local community rugby union competition in Sydney, Australia, he started collating his matches in the form of a diary. His lived experiences, as recorded in the diary, were the sole source of data for this inquiry. The data collected were over a 12‐month period (2010).FindingsThis study provides a descriptive analysis of the author's weekend and, on occasion, week day/night match experiences in rugby union as a referee and the challenges of fairness and subjectivity encountered.Originality/valueThe paper identifies challenges of maintaining a viable and competitive local rugby union competition free from violence amidst a growing trend in declining player numbers and skill levels at the local community rugby union level. It is envisaged that the findings may benefit competition administrators in designing and facilitating better ways to cater for the diverse playing abilities of local rugby union players in an increasingly competitive sport market who are looking for ways to participate in team‐based sports.