By Callum Ludwig
The Upper Yarra Basketball Association (UYBA) is looking to recruit referees, with an opportunity to improve your understanding of the game and earn some money at the same time.
Expressions of interest are open for the next referee course to be held beginning on 22 April for the small competition based at the Yarra Centre.
Referee Advisor Paul Traynor said refereeing is great for the resume of a young person.
“You learn quick decision-making and conflict resolution skills and you’ve got to be quite confident to be a ref because basically every time you make a call, about 50 per cent of the people that are there disagree with you,” he said.
“I also coach and I always tell my players to ref as well because you learn all the little tricks that the players do to get into the key or to get a shot off quickly as well as being able to see all the good defensive and offensive positions.”
The UYBA’s referees were recognised in 2022, receiving Basketball Victoria’s Referee Branch ‘Local TOC of the Year (Metropolitan Small)’ award. It was the first time in the competition’s history they had won an award.
Mr Traynor said new referees will be taken through a four-week referee school.
“For the first week, we just teach them positioning and where they need to get to see a foul or violation before we go through the violations in the second week, such as the out of courts, and the fouls the following week,” he said.
“They are always on games with a mentor and by the fourth week, we let them make the calls with a more senior referee in games. They become a ‘green shirt’ or a trainee ref. After a while, they get to go solo as a green shirt before they sit their exam and become a fully qualified striped-shirt referee.”
Refereeing and umpiring sports can be a great little earner, with the profession regarded as a hobby and not being taxed. Trainee referees can earn $13 for a 45-minute junior game and more senior referees in higher grades and senior games can earn as much as $20 a game.
Anyone who wants to become a referee can fill out an expression of interest form at: www.uyba.squarespace.com/roles-uyba.
