Tom Mather has been appointed RLEF Match Officials Manager, replacing Steve Davis, who stepped down from the role last month. A Grade 2 RFL referee, the Leeds native lives and works in St Albans as a project manager in the environmental sector.  He is currently the Southern RL Referees Society Development Officer, a voluntary role he has held since 2009, and match officials tutor for Southern England. His chief responsibilities have been the recruitment, training and assessment of regional match officials, and he has swelled the Society’s ranks from 22 in 2009 to 55 last year. 

"I am honoured to be appointed to this roll working with the match officials of the RLEF,” said Mather, 27. “I am looking forward to working with all the member nations, building on progress that has been made already and I am excited about driving forward match officiating within the organisation, improving standards further in both official education and performance across the RLEF."

Commenting on his successor, Davis said: “His voluntary contributions to the [Southern] Society have been one of the biggest factors in its growth in members and development structures. In the past six years he has held positions within the society as Chairman, Fixtures Secretary and Development Officer.  In my time working for the RLEF, Tom has shown more interest and dedication to the RLEF than any other UK official.”

Mather has experience working with the RLEF before, both as a match official in the European Shield, and in an educational capacity, at the launch of the Technical Strategy in 2011 and in Catalonia in 2009.

RLEF General Manager Danny Kazandjian said: “We had seven applicants for the role and it was encouraging to receive interest from some experienced and extremely capable professionals. Tom joins the organisation at an exciting and important time. The RLEF made its first organisation-wide investment into match officials development three years ago and now it is important we assess the results and the on-going officiating needs of European rugby league. Tom’s experience both within and without the game, as a tutor and project manager, will be central to the next phase of development as we continue to promote independence and rugby league competencies throughout our membership.”