#HelpTheGame – Referee Interest

12^th November 2021

Dear friends

Help the Game: Referee Recruitment and Engagement

At basketballscotland we are delighted to see that players are returning to the court across the country after the pandemic and the recovery of the game is beginning at all levels.

I’m writing to ask if you would be able to help with the recovery. We need help and support to address one of the biggest challenges we face right now – the lack of referees.

The number of officials had been an issue for some time, but one we were making progress in resolving prior to the pandemic. However, more than a dozen referees have stepped away from officiating for a variety of valid reasons and, with no games happening during the pandemic, there have not been the same opportunities available to develop officials to fill some of these gaps.

The shortage of referee’s is already having an impact on both local and national competitions, and it is a high priority for us to address this quickly. We believe the best way to solve this is working together with the community.

We are looking for people who want to help the game – that could be someone who has qualified or refereed previously that is willing to cover a game locally every few weeks, someone who currently plays who would be willing to help or a student who wants to make some extra cash in a flexible way by picking up a few games each week. Anyone who is willing to support will be an asset and no help is too small.

If you’ve played and understand the game, can communicate well and are willing to learn you can really help the sport through this challenging time.

We are not looking for the next international referee (although we are always happy to support people with those ambitions) – we are looking for people who can give their time to make sure games can go ahead.

For our part, we are committed to making it as easy as possible for you, removing barriers and providing support in a way that works for you. We want to move quickly and take an individualised, personal approach to supporting willing individuals into or to return to refereeing. We are also prepared to provide the required training and equipment and to do this in a flexible way that works for the individual.

We are committed to linking them to games in an environment where you can learn and supporting you through your early experience (if needed).

If you are willing and able to help – then we’d love to hear from you now!

Kieran Lynch will be the initial contact for anyone willing to help so please contact him directly if you think you can help in any way – Kieran Lynch, officiating@basketball-scotland.com, 07734 888 766 (work hours Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)

I would really appreciate any support you can provide in this area.