News

Like many young people, Liam Sargent is a sports fanatic. He enjoys a good game of cricket or touch rugby and has a love for horse racing. He’s also passionate about our game, having played it as a kid, and continuing his involvement as a referee once he wrapped up his playing years.

A College Sport Auckland referee of the year nominee, Liam is dedicated to his craft - putting in the commitment to get better each time he hits the field.

“I get a lot of enjoyment out of refereeing; I love giving back to the game but would also like to make it as far as I can in refereeing

“The ultimate goal would be to make it to the world stage and referee test matches, and also to become a full-time referee”.

Liam is currently completing his Bachelor’s degree in Sport at MIT after finishing his Diploma in Sport, Exercise and Recreation, right here at Navigation Homes Stadium.

“Studying sport has helped me see refereeing in another way. I better understand how coaches and players see referees but also recognise the important role coaches have in our game. I experienced this by coaching a team for the first-time last year, which was great”.

Liam currently works at Kelly Sports, and with his experience playing, refereeing and coaching combined with some study under his belt, he is the perfect candidate to progress to higher levels of sport such as administration, management, or leadership.

We love seeing our people learn the ropes and progress through our game, and Liam is a good representation of the solid pathway our young people can carve themselves in rugby, even if they’re not involved in a playing capacity.

“I would definitely recommend refereeing, coaching, or studying in the sector. Sport has so many opportunities and career options available which is awesome, and I think working in sport is hands down the best job in the world”.