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

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 [email protected]!

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