David Wilkinson has been appointed as Director of Match Officials for MLR. He takes over from Jonathan Kaplan who finished his term last year.
Wilkinson (pic left in his Pro12 refereeing days) will manage all aspects of officiating in MLR, while a portion of his role will be directed toward domestic community development with USA Rugby. David joins MLR from the IRFU where he was National Referee Manager.
The new role is part of a new Major League Rugby (MLR) and USA Rugby collaboration on referee development. The tie-up aims to solidify a pathway for domestic referees into MLR in the lead up to Rugby World Cup 2031.
“The importance of the officials in our game can never be understated. This partnership with USA Rugby mirrors our initiatives on the player pathways and aims to make MLR a leader in the development of match officials,” said Nic Benson, CEO of Major League Rugby.
“It is imperative that USA Rugby and MLR are aligned to ensure consistency of message for aspirational match officials. This also cements USA Rugby’s referee development structures as the pathway to being involved in MLR,” added Jamie McGregor, USA Rugby Referee Manager.
Speaking about his new role, Wikinson said, “I am thrilled to be joining the League at such an exciting time for rugby in North America. My aim is to ensure that MLR is completely serviced by American and Canadian referees in the near future and I look forward to working with all stakeholders in the USA Rugby ecosystem to do so,” said Wilkinson.
World Cup refs join management team
Wilkinson has also brought in a new MLR management team. That will include former Rugby World Cup referee Alain Rolland (left in pic) as well as David McHugh (middle) – recipient of the 2023 World Rugby Referee Award. Mike Cron, based in NZ, will lead on scrum matters, and MLR’s most capped referee, Scott Green (right), will begin his transition to Referee Development Officer to mentor upcoming referees.
USA Rugby National Referee Team
The also see the re-formation of a National Panel, called the USA Rugby National Referee Team. The panel consists of the USA-based referees selected by MLR to referee at the highest level of the game domestically.
Members: Marquise Goodwin, Scott Green, Kahlil Harrison, Cisco Lopez, Amelia Luciano, Luke Rogan, Kat Roche, Derek Summers, Lex Weiner
MLR MATCH OFFICIAL MANAGEMENT TEAM
- Director of Match Officials – David Wilkinson
- Referee Coach – David McHugh
- Referee Coach – Alain Rolland
- Referee Development Officer – Scott Green
- Scrum Coach – Mike Cron
- Administrative Manager – Rosalind Anderson
