VAR coach quits PGMOL to return to rugby league as new referees’ chief

Phil Bentham is to leave his role as a VAR coach with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to become the Rugby Football League’s new head of match officials.

The former Super League official returns to rugby league’s governing body having enjoyed a distinguished career as a referee and video referee.

Bentham joined the PGMOL as a VAR coach in the summer of 2022 but Telegraph Sport understands that he has been successful in his application to return to the 13-a-side code and head up the referees department following last year’s bullying scandal.

The position has been vacant since predecessor Steve Ganson left by “mutual consent” on Dec 31, 2023, having held the role since 2016.

The drawn-out departure of Ganson followed an internal review lasting nearly a year into the bullying culture alleged inside the referees department.

The review started in January 2023 after several former referees spoke out about the culture in the department. Earlier this year a number of officials also spoke out about the culture under Ganson, following his departure.

Ex-match official James Child wrote in Forty20 magazine: “The internal pressure and criticism, all the threats, swearing and shouting however, that grows tiresome and sport – including officiating – relies heavily on confidence.

“If you’ve got 26 players and 10,000 people in a stadium questioning your decisions, you’ve got to have confidence in what you are doing.

“If you feel as though that’s being eroded internally as well, you do start to wonder who has got your back.”

Former referee Richard Silverwood said on X, formerly Twitter, in Jan 2023 that Ganson “has made many officials walk away from something they love”.

Another ex-referee, George Stokes, previously described to League Weekly a culture of homophobia inside the RFL’s match officials department.

Upon the completion of the review and announcement of Ganson’s departure, he said: “The role of head of match officials is a challenging and rewarding one but not always in equal measure. However, I will miss working day to day with the referees and the staff, alongside the clubs.

“I have had the opportunity throughout the departmental review to consider the future direction I wish to take personally, and I have reached the conclusion where I feel it’s the right time to pursue some other options in my career in 2024.”

Bentham, a popular figure within rugby league, will aim to foster a better working environment when he takes charge, with his appointment expected to be announced by the RFL on Thursday.

He is currently finalising his departure from the PGMOL and has already spent time working with referees at the RFL’s headquarters at the Etihad Campus in Manchester this week.

Bentham refereed seven major finals during his career, including the 2011 and 2014 Super League Grand Finals and four Challenge Cup finals.

The 52-year-old from Leigh also was in the middle for the 2014 Four Nations Final in New Zealand before quitting his role as a match officials coach at the RFL in March 2021.

The campaign kicks off on Thursday night with a Hull derby at the MKM Stadium with more than 20,000 tickets having been sold.

This season will also see the BBC covering 15 Super League games in an unprecedented move, giving rugby league its greatest visibility since the competition’s formation in 1996.