As we look to the future of hurling in our county and beyond, we’re concerned about the growing shortage of qualified and available referees. This threatens the sustainability of our sport, and we feel the county board has not done enough to address it in terms of training and recruitment.

To tackle this challenge, we propose introducing an incentive programme within our club to encourage the recruitment of new referees.

Here’s the proposal for all club members, specifically for those starting to referee from 2025 onwards:

- Free Membership: Active referees (and their spouse/children, if applicable) will receive free membership as long as they remain active and officiate in championship games. Referees can start by officiating in juvenile championships and progress to adult matches.

- Free Lotto Subscription: One free annual lotto subscription.

- All-Ireland Final Ticket: A free ticket to the All-Ireland final if Galway qualifies, plus the option to purchase a second ticket.

- Umpires' Ticket: The option for your nominated umpires to purchase one ticket to the All-Ireland final if Galway qualifies.

- Referee Bonus 1: A €500 bonus after you referee your first Senior Hurling Championship match in Galway.

- Referee Bonus 2: A €1,000 bonus after refereeing a Senior Intercounty match (League or Championship).

This programme is designed to support and incentivize new referees while rewarding those committed to officiating at a high level. We believe this will secure the future of refereeing and strengthen our club and county's commitment to the sport.

We encourage all club members to consider this opportunity to help grow the next generation of referees.