Match Officials Jack Smith and James Vella team up with schools programme Literacy Kicks

Betfred Super League match officials Jack Smith and James Vella swapped their whistles for words by helping primary school pupils write newspaper articles on the importance of referees in sport.

Smith and Vella recently teamed up with schools programme Literacy Kicks to visit Greenfield Primary in Saddleworth and Chorley-based Euxton Church of England Primary.

Literacy Kicks engages children in reading and writing by taking them inside the exciting world of sports journalism. This year’s six-week programme includes a workshop on the vital role of referees in all sports but focused on RFL match officials - allowing Smith and Vella to offer students a unique insight into their careers.

The pair described their paths from first picking up a whistle to taking charge of Super League and international matches on some of the world’s biggest stages, as well as answering questions on the challenges of their role.

Australian Vella - who refereed the first ever Women’s Challenge Cup final to be held at Wembley in 2023 - enjoyed the opportunity to share his experiences with pupils.

He explained: “It was a pleasure visiting the students at Greenfield Primary to talk about the importance of referees in sport. They were engaged and asked some very insightful questions.

“I enjoyed walking around and talking to them about experiences in my career. I was impressed at some of the headlines and paragraphs they were able to quickly articulate in their articles. It was nice to hear them talk about how important they felt it was to respect referees. They were a credit to their school.”

Smith spoke to Years 5 and 6 at Euxton CofE about his previous career in the Royal Marines as well as touch-judging a Rugby League World Cup final. He added: “I loved my visit - the kids were really inquisitive and asked lots of interesting questions about life as a referee. They enjoyed talking to me about life as a Royal Marines Commando and asked questions that only kids would ask about military life. 

“They told me stories of their experiences with match officials in different sports and how they are treated. One football fan recited how the referee was being booed as his name was announced before the game had even started! All the children spoke about the importance of match officials in all sport and how their grass roots sports couldn’t be played without them. 

“I enjoyed walking around the classroom and chatting to them about their hobbies and interests that ranged from Duathlon to Lego and Netball to Computing. 

“I’m glad I had the opportunity to be a small part of their learning journey and hopefully they all took something away from my visit.”

Literacy Kicks was founded in 2022 by former Daily Mirror rugby league correspondent Gareth Walker, and has since worked with over 100 schools across the north of England. Among a host of special initiatives has been heritage projects with Rochdale Hornets, Sheffield Eagles and Women in Rugby League.

Walker said: “Having Jack Smith and James Vella in classrooms added an extra dimension to the Literacy Kicks sessions. They interacted brilliantly with the pupils at both schools and provided a unique experience for them by offering their insight into the world of refereeing top level sport. It led to writing sessions that the pupils won’t forget, and helped them produce some excellent work on the role of referees in sport.”