James Child (born 4 July 1983)[1] is a former English rugby league referee.

[5] As a referee, his first professional game was Gateshead Thunder v Workington Town on 17 April 2006, before making his Super League debut on 15 March 2009 with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats v Catalans Dragons.

On 11 January 2010, he was promoted to the RFL's elite refereeing squad for 2010's Super League XV.

[8][9] He combines his role as Super League referee, with a part-time job as a Chartered surveyor for Leeds City Council.

In February 2021, in an interview for BBC Sport, Child confirmed that he is gay, something known to his family, friends and colleagues for some time.