When he turned up at Millbrae in primary three with a new pair of boots and fingerless gloves, David Young didn’t know the path it would take him on. From playing throughout the age-grades to senior rugby he called it quits at 31, before picking up a whistle and having a second career as a referee.
Seven years on he has progressed through the ranks and is set to feature as the Fifth Official in his first international this Saturday, when Scotland welcome Wales to Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
Callum Kerr and Mark Carrick caught up with David Young ahead of the match to find out more about his love for Ayr RFC, his journey so far and how he balances life on the farm.
Chatting to Dave it is clear Ayr has been a constant in his life. First as a player, then as a social hub – briefly as a Development Officer under the tutelage of Stuart Fenwick – and when “it started to get quite sore”, and David hung up the boots, refereeing gave him an escape from the new-found boredom he experienced at the weekends: “I was missing rugby so much because I’d done it all my life so went to a referee course at Cartha and I was refereeing a game the week after.”
“Lots of people do it to ref their kids matches at youth level but I made it clear I was keen to focus on senior rugby and progression, so made myself available and approached it as a player. I realised quickly I enjoyed it”.
As a former “mouthy” Scrum-Half, Dave probably thought he had a good handle on what it took to be a ref during his playing days, and has been surprised at how well the system has supported him to grow. From lower leagues with only the traditional officiating trio of two assistants and a man in the middle, David progressed to matches which included fourth and fifth officials – gaining valuable experience through age-grade internationals, FOSROC Super Series matches and Pro matches with Edinburgh and Glasgow.
So, what exactly will his role as Fifth Official on Saturday entail?
“Your fourth and fifth officials are there to liaise with the officials on the pitch, the team managers and potentially the television. We all know rugby isn’t a fifteen-man sport anymore… There are so many different things that can happen in a game be it HIA’s (Head Injury Assessment), substitutions, injuries, sending offs… We’re linked up through audio communication and it is up to us to keep the timings for all these things and support the referee in the middle who already has so much else on his plate”.
After the floodlights of Murrayfield fade into the distance as he drives back west along the M8, attention will turn to the family farm in Coylton. For many in agriculture it can be hard to find a passion away from the family business, but for David, he feels it has been a blessing having something going on where he can completely shut off from the day job: “It has 100% been good for me. When I did finish playing, I found it difficult to adjust to seven days on the farm… I was also growing out of Young Farmers, so this has given me not only a hobby but another social circle of friends and experiences – I’ve travelled the world with it, and it also keeps me fit”.
For David finding refereeing has him kept involved in the sport for a decade longer than he might have had, and with opportunities continuing to come his way that shows no sign in stopping now.
For those thinking of picking up a whistle, David’s parting advice was: “Try it. You can join at any commitment level you like depending on what stage of life you’re at. Maybe you feel like you’ve lost a club or don’t have one, but this is one way to get your own one with others dipping their toes in”.