Willetton's Referee Program

With dedicated staff to teach new referees, Willetton Basketball’s referee program is one that is quite unique to Western Australia.

Willetton Basketball is one of the only associations that has a dedicated team committed to teaching new referees that are beginning their journeys, with our program spanning through the junior domestic competition to the senior competition. We are proud to have watched a number of referees come through the program and go on to specialise, and also represent Willetton at the higher levels of basketball (including Championship, WABL and the NBL1).

We know that every person is different, which means everyone learns at a different pace and in their own ways. As an association that acts as a centre for positive impact within the community, and one that prides itself on access and inclusion, we don’t provide timeline restrictions on people who are training to become a qualified referee at Willetton Basketball.

What is the Structure of the Referee Program at Willetton Basketball?

Our referee program is split into five groups of referees. From green shirt referees/runners through to referee educators, this program has a clear structure that allows aspiring referees to move through the different groups as they become ready to take their next steps.

Where to start? Step 1, attend an Association Beginner referee course, Step 2, once you have received the accreditation you can apply to join our “Green/shirt/Runners” waitlist

There can be a bit of a wait on the list but we will be in touch when your round comes up.  We are continually working with runners and white shirts to ensure the support is always there, which means this can take time, so please be patient as we work through the waitlist.

Green Shirt Referees/Runners

Green shirt referees/runners are our brand-new ‘runners’. Most participants enter the program at this level after taking the association’s beginners’ course, so knowledge and experience are both likely to be limited. The runners will be at different stages, ranging from running alongside a qualified referee, to refereeing by themselves with a qualified referee on the other end.

White Shirt Referees

White shirt referees are classified as our ‘graduated referees’, with the white shirts that participants wear being unique to Willetton Basketball’s referee program. The level of skill of these referees ranges from freshly graduated, to some of our longest serving referees.

Black and White Striped Shirt/Level 1 or Level 1 Advanced Accreditation Referees

These referees are those that have gained more experience and knowledge by taking the next step through furthering their basketball refereeing education with courses and refereeing in the WABL or other tournaments. When on-court, some of these referees are more likely to work with our green shirt referees/runners.

Junior and Senior Supervisors

Our junior and senior supervisory roles involve allocating referees on to shifts, teach and educate referees (on-court and off-court) during shifts, deal with on-court complaints from coaches during shifts and watch over junior and senior domestic matches. Our junior and senior supervisors are some of the most dedicated staff in the program and continue to improve the quality of referees that come through.

Educators and supervisors are on the side of the court and, when necessary, will step on to the court to provide support and education to not only the runners, but the referees when situations arise that require attention and extra support during matches.

Referee Educators

Our referee educators are committed to working with and eventually ‘graduating’ the runners into our referee program. The educators work alongside our supervisors to ensure that our runners are working alongside the appropriate referees and that matches are officiated to the best that they can be, with the capable referees on court. They also help the runners to:

• Learn the correct refereeing mechanics.
• How to implement the rules of a game of basketball.
• How to deal with unusual situations that do arise.

Referee educators work closely with referees and supervisors to ensure the runners are getting the correct feedback and the correct information on the court. This is done to encourage runners to strive to become a referee at the level that is satisfactory to Willetton Basketball’s referee program.