Bleep Test still going strong as referees maintain high fitness levels

David Matthews fondly remembers an event which every referee looked forward to

Did you make any New Year resolutions which had something to do with "getting fit?" Spare a thought for the referees, particularly those at the very top, for whom fitness is a pre-requisite; I am not only thinking of the full time officials and those who make up the list for the Premiership, but also those earmarked for promotion who are climbing the ladder fast and have the incentive to push themselves further.

I have known a few referees who have openly admitted to doing very little training and somehow got away with it, but they are in a tiny minority. The days of 'going for a little run' disappeared long ago, to be replaced by a much stricter, organised regime. Even in the 'good old days' there was one tortuous event which everyone dreaded, otherwise known as the Bleep Test; this annual fitness test which moved venues, ranging from regional bases to Loughborough. In fact it was Rex Hazeldine, a PE lecturer and rugby coach from there, who helped to get it established as one regular feature for fitness testing and it is still being used for players and officials in a variety of sports. No wonder many referees were after Rex's telephone number, he had a lot to answer for!

For the uninitiated the test involves running (usually in groups of about six) between cones positioned some twenty metres apart, to a series of bleeps which increase in frequency after every ten; the victims are expected to complete the runs, which have increased from a fast walk to a sprint, by the time "starting level 10" is called out. On one celebrated occasion when the 'pass mark' was raised to 12.6, several referees failed to make it and the original target was quickly restored to ensure there were enough to be appointed. By comparison Neil Back, of England and Leicester fame, managed to get to 21.0 on the bleep test.

The whole concept of fitness training has changed dramatically in the last ten years, with every possible support and back up provided for the elite referees. Ian Botham, who would never have had any time for this kind of punishment, once said that if he had only played when he was fully fit he would have played in three quarters of his final total of matches. That would be highly unlikely today for either referees or players in rugby, though the subject of injuries to players would be another long topic for debate.

Next time you advise the man with the whistle to keep up with play think that, although there a few who will be doing the absolute minimum, the majority will be putting in a lot of effort to be where the action is.