The Otago Rugby Referees Association has announced a substantial new sponsorship agreement which comes with flash new uniforms, and scholarships.
Association chairman Jim Thomson said the new deal would help in various ways and should ensure referees were well kitted out and could cover games all over the region.
A group of six sponsors has signed on for the next three years, led by principal sponsor Delta.
Also on board are Farmlands, New World, Lone Star, Quality Power and Hynds Pipes.
The new deal will enable the association to have permanent club rooms.
Since leaving Carisbrook in 2011, the Logan Park Bowling Club has been its temporary base but that has become more fixed.
The Dunedin members have joined the bowling club as associate members and seasonal difference in codes mean the club rooms are used all year round.
Referees in the country will have their mileage rates increased, which Thomson said was very handy, as some referees had to travel long distances.
Three scholarships will be offered to referees in tertiary or trade studies, valued at $3000 each, and a fitness trainer will assist referees with pre-season training.
He declined to put a figure on the sponsorship.
Last year, Otago gained 23 new referees.
The sponsorships will help with recruiting talent and Thomson said the association was trying to be more proactive in assisting referees gain employment and stay in Dunedin after finishing their tertiary study.
The new uniforms, supplied by Tsunami, the company managed in New Zealand by former Highlanders and Otago winger Brendon Laney, is made of a new material, and the referees will be the first to use them in New Zealand.
Laney said the uniforms were made of a combination of recycled plastic bottles and bamboo charcoal, which is woven into thread.
