Collegiate Development Summit | Presented by National Collegiate Rugby

Referee Education

January 13-17, 2027 | Orlando, Florida | Apply online | Free if you waive weekend fees | Hotel covered

Classroom, practical, and live All Stars appointments with NCR Referee Manager Dave Haines, the pathway to consideration for the Fall 2027 15s panel.

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The invitation

A development pathway for officials

NCR is excited to announce a Referee Education Summit that will combine classroom work with 3 days of matches to put the knowledge learned to the test. The Summit has limited seat available, officials need to apply online by November 20. Attendees will be notified by December 1. This Summit is intended to act as a step on the path toward identifying the Fall 2027 XVs and Spring 2027 7s panel.

College rugby grows when the official on the field is as prepared as the teams. The most successful rugby referees combine clear communication, with sound law knowledge, and superior decision making, to facilitate higher level rugby.

The NCR Referee Development Summit puts you, together with our referee coaching staff and the nation’s high-performance collegiate players, in Orlando for one evening of pathway and context, one full day of classroom and grass work, then live Center and Assistant-Referee appointments with expert follow-up about your performance. If selected, just get yourself to Orlando. NCR covers the hotel, food, and ground transportation. You will leave with a sharper picture of what qualifications the NCR panels are looking for – and you’ll receive feedback based on matches that matter.

Dates

January 13-17, 2027

Access

Invitation only

Fee waiver

$0 + hotel covered

Keep fees

$150 + hotel covered

APPLY NOW

Why this summit

Why now

NCR’s 2027 All Stars weekend moves to Central Florida as a single men’s and women’s festival of high-performance collegiate rugby.

NCR’s 2027 All Stars weekend moves to Central Florida as a single men’s and women’s festival of high-performance collegiate rugby. More than a thousand athletes and coaches will be on site. The Referee Development Summit sits in front of and inside that event: beginning Wednesday evening through the All Stars window, so officials learn in a focused room and then work to the standard of the collegiate game.
In 2025 NCR launched a referee development pilot to raise the level of match officiating available to member clubs and to give match officials structured coaching, feedback, and a path toward regional championship, and national-final appointments. This summit is the next step in that work — and a pathway toward 2027 15’s & 7’s panels.
That is the spirit of this week. Development first. High level appointments with coaching, take aways and follow-up.

Lead educator

Dave Haines

NCR Referee Manager | Referee pathways | Development panel standards

Dave Haines leads officiating for National Collegiate Rugby. He opened NCR’s referee development pilot with a simple brief: give officials the tools and feedback they need to succeed, then create a pathway through top-tier match appointments toward national championship selection.
At this summit he sets the frame for the week — referee pathways inside NCR, what the development panel is looking for, and the standard expected of officials appointed to All Stars. Jeremy Treece opens the first evening with NCR’s role in rugby in the United States, so every official in the room understands the system they are working inside.
Dave is joined by a national level faculty across the Thursday program includes NCR referee coaches and match officials covering scrum, decision-making under pressure, performance review, assistant-referee craft, the current tackle law, and what collegiate coaches want from the person with the whistle.

Two pathways

Same respect

The focus on the weekend is to prepare referees and referee coaches to officiate the collegiate game. LRO coaches are encouraged to join the referees this weekend working with NCR’s National Level coaches as they work with the referees in attendance.

REFEREE Pathway

Build the craft you will use every MATCH

For officials who want to learn the skills to transition from basic officiating to panel level. You will work on:

Positioning, presence, and communication
Scrum and set-piece management
Tackle-law application at game speed
Assistant-referee roles and mechanics
Making the next decision, not the last one
Decision-making while under pressure
All Stars Center and AR appointments with live coaching

COACHES Pathway

Raise the standard of the panel you aspire to

For LRO Coaches who want to come to an understanding of how NCR coaches its National Panels.

NCR coaching versus performance reviewing
Decision-making while under pressure
What coaches are looking for in referees
What NCR is looking for in its development panel
All Stars coaching appointments with mentorship by NCR’s National Panel Coaches

Both pathways sit inside the same invitation. Wednesday evening, the Thursday program, and All Stars Center and AR appointments are part of the week. Cross-talk between groups is part of the design.

Schedule

What the week looks like

One evening of context, one full working day, then live appointments on All Stars fields.

Wednesday, January 13

7:00-8:00 p.m. | Arrival evening. NCR’s role in rugby in the U.S. with Jeremy Treece and referee pathways within NCR with Dave Haines.

Thursday, January 14

8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. | Full classroom and practical day. Breakfast through All Stars expectations.

Friday-Sunday, January 15-17

All Stars window | Center and assistant-referee appointments across All Stars and Rising Stars, with coaching on the performance.

Thursday program

8:00-8:30 a.m.

Breakfast

9:00-9:10 a.m.

Welcome and housekeeping items

9:10-9:45 a.m.

What NCR is looking for in its Referee Development Panel

9:45-10:45 a.m.

Managing pressure as a Referee

10:45-11:00 a.m.

Break

11:00-11:10 a.m.

NCR coaching vs. performance reviewing

11:10 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Refereeing Sevens – what changes for a Referee?

12:00-1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00-2:00 p.m.

Managing the new tackle requirements

2:00-3:00 p.m.

Assistant-Referee presentation

3:00-4:00 p.m.

Assistant-Referee practical

4:00-5:00 p.m.

Scrum session – practical

5:00-5:30 p.m.

What are NCR team coaches expecting from Referees?

5:30-6:00 p.m.

All Stars expectations

A detailed All Stars appointment grid will be released closer to the event. Thursday hours above are locked.

Audience

Who should apply

An application is not an appointment. NCR reviews applications and issues invitations.

Conference and club referees working NCR fixtures who want a path onto the Fall 2027 XVs and Spring 2027 7s panel
LRO coaches who want to raise their skills to become National Panel Coaches
Officials ready to take live All Stars Center and AR appointments with coaching on the performance
Assistant referees building a Center pathway, and Centers sharpening AR craft
Officials newer to the collegiate game who can show they are ready for this standard

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Logistics

When and where

The education and appointment window runs Wednesday through Sunday alongside the NCR All Stars.

Dates

Wednesday, January 13 – Sunday, January 17, 2027

Schedule

Wed 7:00-8:00 p.m. | Thu 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. | Fri-Sun All Stars appointments

Host event

2027 NCR All Stars presented in Orlando / Central Florida

Venue

Austin-Tindall Sports Complex, 4100 Boggy Creek Road, Kissimmee, FL 34744. Nine full-size grass fields and a championship stadium, about 10 miles from Orlando International Airport.

All Stars

Men’s All Stars and Rising Stars January 15-16; Women’s XVs All Stars January 16-17. Summit officials work those fields.

Access

Invitation only. Officials apply online. An application is not an appointment.

Hotel

Delta Marriott, official tournament and summit hotel. NCR covers the room. No charge to invited officials.

Travel

Fly into MCO. Airfare is the official’s responsibility. Wednesday evening is context; Thursday is the full working day.

Stay with the event

Hotel covered by NCR

NCR books and pays the official block at the Delta Marriott.

NCR books and pays the official block at the Delta Marriott. Invited officials do not pay for the room — whether they waive weekend match fees or choose the $150 option. Airfare, meals, and incidentals remain the official’s responsibility unless the invitation says otherwise.

Registration

Investment

Free if you waive weekend fees. $150 if you keep them. Hotel is covered either way.

Fee waiver

$0 | Waive All Stars weekend match fees. Registration is free. NCR covers the hotel.

Keep weekend fees

$150 | Collect your All Stars match fees. Registration is $150. NCR still covers the hotel.

How it works

This summit is by invitation only. Officials apply online. NCR reviews applications and issues invitations.
Attendance is the pathway used to consider officials for the Fall 2027 15s panel.
Both Foundations and Performance sit inside the same invitation. Choose the work you need.
Thursday education and Friday-Sunday All Stars appointments with coaching are included either way.
Airfare and meals outside published inclusions are the official’s responsibility.

APPLY NOW