Wayne Barnes, England’s youngest Rugby Football Union official – who takes charge of the opening match of this year’s RBS Six Nations tournament, Italy v France, at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome - launched Referee’s Assistant, a new interactive product for schools and colleges at BETT (the world's leading educational information & communications technologies event) on 10 January 2007.

Developed by RSL Media Partners in conjunction with Edexcel and each Sport’s National Governing Body, Referee’s Assistant and Umpire’s Assistant are DVD/CD-ROMs explaining the laws and rules of sport* in an engaging and effective way.  Each disc contains almost 200 footage clips and interactive animations with hundreds of questions to help develop and deepen learners’ understanding of the laws of their sport. 

In an interview at BETT for a Gillette England Rugby podcast, Wayne Barnes said: “It’s a great bit of ground work for up-and-coming and aspiring referees, or for those involved in GCSEs, A Levels and BTEC courses where learning the laws of the game is part of the module.  It is a great interactive way to learn.  Rather than thumbing through the law book we can see the laws in front of us, clips in front of us and we can actually feel the game rather than read about the game.”

In 2005, Wayne Barnes became the youngest ever full-time English referee at the age of 25.  Prior to turning professional, Mr Barnes was studying Criminal Law in London.  He fist took up refereeing at 15, and was identified as an outstanding refereeing when, aged just 21, he became the youngest member of the National Panel of Referees.

When asked about his forthcoming RBS Six Nations fixture, Mr Barnes said: “The honour to referee a Six Nations game is unbelievable for me - it’s the pinnacle.  What a magnificent game to start the tournament, and what a magnificent game to be part of.”

The full interview is available via podcast here.

Referee’s Assistant and Umpire’s Assistant DVD/CD-Roms are available for *Football, Tennis, Rugby League and Rugby Union (with Cricket, Badminton, Triathlon and Squash to follow later this year).  The discs support a range of sporting qualifications including BTEC Firsts and BTEC Nationals in Sport and Sport and Exercise Sciences, and GCSE and A Level Physical Education (PE). 

In addition to the footage, animations and questions, each disc features expert commentary to explain the laws in details and learners can test their knowledge at the end of each individual law section.  A mock exam is also included to help learners prepare for the relevant governing bodies’ formal examination in the laws of the game.

Edexcel is also pleased to annouce that its Level 2 BTEC Award in Understanding the Laws of Sport has been accredited.  It is a 30-hour short course, assessed via a 50 question onscreen test, developed in close collaboration with Sport National Governing Bodies. 

Supported by the Referee’s Assistant and Umpire’s Assistant DVD/CD-ROMs, the qualification is initially available in Football, Tennis, Rugby Union and Rugby League.  The specification is available here.

Referee’s Assistant and Umpire’s Assistant are sold as a network CD-ROM, priced at £500 per single sport CD-ROM and £1000 for the full suite (of all sport CD-ROMs).  This entitles a school or college to a full year’s use for an unlimited number of users.  The CD-ROMs can be purchased using e-learning credits (ELCs).  Click here to place an order.

Referee’s Assistant is accompanied by a website, which features news, discussion forums, weblinks and downloads.

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