Referees are an integral part of the game of basketball. Becoming a referee is a challenging and rewarding profession, and the PLHBA fully supports the development of our referees. Many of our current NBL1 officials started as junior referees at our Hawks Domestic Competition, and many of our Hawks officials have been selected to referee at National Championships and the Southern Cross Challenge.
The Perry Lakes Hawks Referee Program is committed to developing competent, capable, confident and mentally healthy young officials. This is accomplished through referee education and training sessions, on-court support from our referee coaches and referee mentors, and collaboration with Basketball WA to engage our officials at a domestic, WABL and NBL1 level.
New Referees
Welcome to the Perry Lakes Hawks Referee Program, one of the biggest referee programs in Western Australia. Our program has a well-defined education pathway, working in collaboration with Basketball WA to allow our referees to be supported and encouraged in their development through junior domestic, WABL, and elite competitions at a state and national level.
Our new referees begin as “white shirts”, and complete both theoretical and on-court training at our domestic competition before progressing to a “green shirt”. This training includes a combination of shadowing senior officials and refereeing under dedicated supervision from our referee mentors and referee coaches. Training for white shirt referees is completed on Friday evening and Saturday mornings.
We accept new referees to our referee program at set points during the competition year, with courses planned for March and September, and an intake points for referees from external courses also in July. If you are interested in becoming a Hawks referee, you can complete the expression of interest form.
If you have any questions about becoming a referee, please email our head of beginner referees – Emily Letch-Avenell – at newrefs@hawksbasketball.com.au.
Transferring from Another Association
The Perry Lakes Hawks Referee Program is always open to accepting new, trained referees. Our competition runs on Friday evenings, and all-day Saturday. If you are a trained referee who has on-court experience with another association, and would like to join the Hawks program, please contact Eddie and Michael at referees@hawksbasketball.com.au.
Please provide details of previous experiences, and where possible, an evaluation of your competency by a referee coach at your previous association.
WABL Referees
Any qualified referee who has completed their on-court training is eligible to referee WABL for Hawks. WABL is an excellent opportunity to improve your skills, referee higher level basketball, and learn from some of the best referee coaches in the state. WABL games are played on Sundays, and Hawks provide referees to all home games at the Bendat Basketball Centre. WABL Referees also have the opportunity to referee at other venues across Western Australia.
Active WABL referees may pursue a place in Basketball WA’s WABL Referee Development Program. Applications to join the program are opened towards the end of the year, between October and December. Information can be found on Basketball WA’s Wesbite.
If you are interested in refereeing WABL, or have questions about the WABL development program, please contact Michael at referees@hawksbasketball.com.au.
Further Referee Development
At Hawks, we are committed to helping you get better as a referee. There are a range of ways to develop your skills, in addition to the feedback you receive from our referee coaches and mentors at our Hawks domestic competition.
Once you have held an Association Beginner (green shirt) accreditation for 12 months, and are at least 15 years old, you can complete a Level 1 Referee Course.
Once you have held a Level 01 Referee (black & white) accreditation for 12 months, and are at least 16 years old, you can complete a Level 01 Advanced Referee Course.
Upcoming referee courses can be found at Basketball WA’s Website
If you have any questions about referee development, please contact Eddie at referees@hawksbasketball.com.au
Referee Resources
Click here for a copy of the official FIBA rules and guidelines
Click here for a copy of the Perry Lakes Domestic Competition Bylaws
Click here for an explanation of referee development pathways in Western Australia
Click here for an overview of referee signals
