BY JOHN DAVIDSON
The RFL’s head of match officials, Steve Ganson, has finally departed the organisation after an internal review lasting nearly a year into the bullying culture alleged inside the referees department.
The review started in mid-January this year after several former referees spoke out about the culture in the department.
The RFL has announced the news today at midday, stating that Ganson is leaving by “mutual consent”.
The press release reads:
Steve Ganson will leave the RFL on 31 December 2023 by mutual consent.
Ganson was appointed Head of Match Officials in 2016, having previously been the RFL’s Match Officials Coach and Technical Director. Before that, he was one of the sport’s leading match officials.
In total, he took charge of more than 400 professional games between 1995 and 2013, and was one of Rugby League’s first group of full-time officials when they were appointed in 2007.
His major match appointments included two Super League Grand Finals, three Challenge Cup Finals and two World Club Challenge fixtures, and he was the video referee for the 2008 World Cup Final between Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane. He was then appointed to the role of Head Coach of match officials in the Covid-delayed Rugby League World Cup tournament in the UK in 2022.
Steve Ganson:“The role of Head of Match Officials is a challenging and rewarding one but not always in equal measure. However, I will miss working day to day with the Referees and the staff, alongside the clubs.
“I have had the opportunity throughout the departmental review to consider the future direction I wish to take personally, and I have reached the conclusion where I feel it’s the right time to pursue some other options in my career in 2024.”
The RFL thanks Steve for his commitment to the game and wishes him all the best for the future.
The RFL says it will now begin an open recruitment process to find Ganson’s replacement.
Dave Elliot, who led the department in 2023 during Ganson’s absence, will continue in the position during the process and be supported by Dave Rotherham.
Earlier this year a number of referees spoke out about the culture under Ganson.
Ex-match official James Child wrote in Forty20 magazine: “The internal pressure and criticism, all the threats, swearing and shouting however, that grows tiresome and sport – including officiating – relies heavily on confidence.
“If you’ve got 26 players and 10,000 people in a stadium questioning your decisions, you’ve got to have confidence in what you are doing. If you feel as though that’s being eroded internally as well, you do start to wonder who has got your back.”
Former referee Richard Silverwood tweeted that Ganson “has made many officials walk away from something they love” in January, while in the past ex-referee George Stokes described to League Weekly a culture of homophobia inside the RFL’s match officials department.
Ganson was in charge of the department from 2016.
