The Bald Ref - standing up for referees, and for mental health

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to Wish List failed.

Please try again later

Remove from Wish List failed.

Please try again later

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

The Bald Ref - standing up for referees, and for mental health

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

Today, we're joined by Jonny Cartwright, who you may know as The_Bald_Ref on Instagram. He's just been recognised as Loosehead Of the Year 2025 at the Looseheadz Community Awards.

We talk about:

Jonny's journey from coach to referee
How he develops referees in his role as T&D lead in Manchester & District Referees (MADRefs)
How Looseheadz is and how he got into supporting them (trigger warning)
#WaffleWednesday
His officiating at the World Record rugby matches in Ireland earlier in 2025
How he got into trouble for calling out clubs on Instagram when they fail to respect referees
The effect that has on referee resilience and mental health of match officials

Resources & Links:

Jonny on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_bald_ref/
LooseHeadz: https://looseheadz.co.uk/
LH help and support: https://looseheadz.co.uk/help-and-support/
Previous episodes covering mental health and resilience subjects in rugby and refereeing - Nick Marshall and Tim Wyatt

If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net!

You can follow us here:

Instagram: RugbyRefereenet

Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net

Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community

Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

No reviews yet