NRL referees to stop wearing pink shirts because their authority is being undermined

Officials will change their shirts to either red or blue but risk alienating different groups

Jack de Menezes
Wednesday 04 March 2015 15:57 GMT
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Extra referees were trialed 2015 Charity Shield between South Sydney Rabbitohs and St George Illawarra Dragons
Extra referees were trialed 2015 Charity Shield between South Sydney Rabbitohs and St George Illawarra Dragons

Referees in Australia’s NRL will stop wearing pink shirts because they feel that their authority over players is being undermined.

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that officials will stop wearing pink shirts and will turn to blue and red shirts that are believed to encourage discipline.

However, the decision has already been criticised as it could alienate certain groups from the game, which includes the gay community and breast cancer awareness groups.

"I don't think this move away from pink really supports social inclusion,” Dr Tom Heenan of the National Centre for Australian Studies told the BBC World Service.

"If you are wanting a more inclusive football community you have to be more aware of the symbolisms of marginal groups within that community."

NFL referee Shayne Hayne during the Grand Final

The introduction of pink shirts for referees has led some to believe that they are not able to implement their decisions and are finding their job harder as a result.

But psychologist Chris Pomfret has said that there is no evidence to support that this as fact, and believes that a referees skills are far more influential than the colour of a shirt.

"I'm not aware of any evidence the colour pink would make any difference to how an official is perceived by the people they are officiating over, the crowd, coaches or any other observers,” said Pomfret.

"And how would a different coloured shirt change the skill executions in practical terms or respect in credibility."

The new NRL season gets underway on Thursday with last season’s Grand Final champions and World Club Challenge winners South Sydney Rabbitohs take on the Brisbane Broncos, who beat the Wigan Warriors last month as part of the World Club Series.

Each match features two referees on the field, with the senior official wearing a football-style armband which is likely to be blue, although it can also be pink.

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