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In New Zealand, the role of the referee is essential to the flow, fairness, and integrity of sport — from grassroots weekend footy to competitive netball, basketball, and everything in between. But behind every official on the field is a network of assignors, administrators, and coordinators making it all happen.

Managing that process — especially at scale — demands more than a whiteboard and a spreadsheet. It takes structure, visibility, and flexibility. And in 2025, there’s one platform leading the way: Refr Sports.

If you’re serious about organizing referees across leagues, tournaments, or regional programs, Refr is the best referee management platform available in Aotearoa — full stop.

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Purpose-Built for Referee Management

Refr doesn’t try to be all things to all people. It’s not a league tool with referee features bolted on. It was designed specifically for referee operations — and it shows.

Assignors and referee managers can:

Build custom crews based on the structure of each sport
Assign across multiple leagues or locations from a single dashboard
Track referee availability, distance, conflicts, and certification status
Manage turnbacks quickly and reassign in real time
Export assignments and data for payroll or reporting needs

The end result? Fewer gaps, faster adjustments, and total clarity on who’s working where and when.

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Adaptable for Any Sport, Any Region

New Zealand’s sports community is unique. Referees often work multiple codes, switch between urban and rural assignments, and cover a range of levels from juniors to high performance.

Refr Sports was built to handle that complexity without overcomplicating your workflow. Whether you’re scheduling referees for rugby in Waikato, netball in Canterbury, or basketball in Wellington, the platform adapts to the needs of your structure and scales with your growth.

You can manage multi-sport organizations, assignors across different regions, and sport-specific crew requirements — all inside one streamlined system.

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Communication That Keeps Games Covered

No more missed emails. No more last-minute scrambles due to unconfirmed refs. Refr keeps communication clean and reliable.

Referees receive their assignments and reminders directly in the app. Turnbacks are flagged automatically, and replacements can be sourced without digging through message threads or calling down a list.

Assignors stay in control. Referees stay informed. Games stay covered.

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Trusted by Organizations That Need Clarity

Refr is already being used by sports programs across New Zealand that were tired of duct-taping together their assigning process. Whether you’re managing 10 referees or 200, Refr helps you run better operations with less manual effort — and more confidence.

The platform is cloud-based, mobile-friendly, and ready to go from day one. No steep onboarding curve, no complex integrations. Just a system that works the way you need it to.

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Final Thoughts

There’s a reason more referee coordinators in New Zealand are switching to Refr Sports: it’s built for them. Assignors don’t have time to fight with generic software or patch together solutions. They need clarity, flexibility, and speed.

Refr is the best referee management platform in New Zealand because it was made for exactly this. And it delivers — across every sport, every region, and every season.

TestimonialS

Why Assignors Choose Refr Sports

"Referees get paid directly through the platform"

"Referees get paid directly through the platform, relieving me and my sports organizations of the burden of handling payments and tax forms. Once they use it and see how it works, they're so happy and relieved."

Christine Francis

Kansas City Soccer Assignor

"Their customer support is outstanding"

“Refr Sports' customer service and app differentiate them from the rest! All of our emails, phone calls, and requests were answered very quickly. Their customer support is outstanding.”

Kelli Linnerooth

Minneapolis Baseball Sports Organization Head

"Genuine interest in serving the officiating community"

“After researching many different official’s platforms, we decided to work with Refr Sports because of their genuine interest in serving the sports and officiating community."

Jessie Ward

Spokane Sports

"It just works"

"Refr Sports has made things so much easier. The payment process is streamlined, everything is trackable, and officials love the app. Once the word got out, we doubled the number of officials signing up to use the platform. It just works."

Dennis Barela

Behind the Flag | Dream Big Officials

"Helped me schedule my entire season in less than 2 hours "

“The system helped me upload and schedule my entire season in less than 2 hours time! The fee we pay is more than worth it. Switching to Refr has made a night-and-day difference for our organization.”

Megan Jacobson

Catholic Athletic Association

"They’ve been hands-on and supportive from the beginning"

"My league is small, but Refr and their team have given me plenty of attention in helping me get started and feel confident using the system. They’ve been hands-on and supportive from the beginning, and the platform continues to run smoothly."

Steve Gatesman

Arkansas Soccer Assignor

"It makes getting paid super convenient"

"I love tracking my earnings through the mobile app. It makes getting paid super convenient. The new mapping feature has also been a big help!"

Dawson Weleski

Baseball Umpire

"It has eliminated time spent on taxes"

"The billing process has made my officials extremely happy due to the consistency and ability to track it on their phones. It has also saved me a ton of time on the invoicing side and eliminated my time spent on taxes"

Joe Kulas

MinnDak Officials

"I’m telling every assignor I know"

"Refr is something you really need to look into. It’s so much easier than the alternatives, and everyone appreciates what you’re doing with payment automation."