How your child becomes a basketball referee in Victoria

Who can become a referee

Refereeing in Victoria starts at your local association, not with Basketball Victoria directly. Basketball Victoria say the average trainee is 14 years old and that most associations run beginner courses throughout the year.

Most associations set the minimum age at 14, counted from when the course starts. Nunawading set it at 15. A few don't publish an age at all, so if yours is missing from the table, email them and ask when their next course runs.

The beginner course

Basketball Victoria describe the entry course as twelve weeks long, with a theory part and an on court part where the trainee is supported by a mentor. In practice that means a handful of classroom sessions, then real junior games with an experienced referee alongside them.

The details vary by association. Ringwood run four theory sessions on a Sunday and then ask trainees to referee at least one day a week for a full term. Diamond Valley run their course twice a year, in February and July, and the Term One 2027 course is already open.

The theory side is moving online. In February 2026 Basketball Australia released a new national officiating curriculum on the etrainu platform, so trainees can do the theory at a time that suits them and then start on court when the next practical spot comes up.

Where a price is published, the course costs $100 to $150. Nunawading's $100 includes the course, the Basketball Victoria licence, a loaned green shirt and ongoing coaching. Casey's $150 includes the C Grade book, green shirt hire, a whistle, a referee shirt and the course fee. Once qualified, every referee also pays a yearly Basketball Victoria licence through the refbook system. The 2026 licence cost $17 and runs to 31 December 2026, so check refbook for the 2027 fee.

What referees get paid

Referees are paid per game, and for a teenager it's one of the better Saturday jobs going. Basketball Victoria publish recommended rates for junior domestic games, and associations then set their own, which are often a bit lower.

Basketball Victoria's recommended 2026 rates, from 1 January 2026, are $19 a game at C Grade, $20 at B Grade and $21 at A Grade during the regular season, rising to $21, $22 and $23 for finals. Basketball Victoria also suggests an extra $5 for a referee who mentors a trainee during a game.

What associations actually pay varies. Diamond Valley say approximately $14 to $18 a game, Ringwood $12 to $18, and Nunawading from $13 a game for apprentices up to $25. At Nunawading, trainees on the beginner course aren't paid for their course games, so the money starts once they're through.

Uniform and gear

New referees usually start in a loaned or hired green shirt, which is part of the course fee at both Nunawading and Casey. Once qualified, Basketball Victoria's official referee clothing range is sold only through Ref Warehouse, and it's mandatory for referees in Basketball Victoria events, leagues and competitions.

Casey's 2026 referee policy gives a good idea of the rest: plain black basketball shorts in summer and black slacks in winter and finals, mostly black lace up runners, and a green whistle and green lanyard for anyone under 18. A whistle and lanyard combo costs $14 to $16 in Ref Warehouse's Basketball Victoria range.

Working with Children Checks

Referees under 18 don't need a Working with Children Check. The Victorian Government's exemptions say people under 18 are exempt, and Basketball Victoria's refbook only asks for a check from referees aged 18 or older.

Once your child turns 18 and keeps refereeing, they'll need one. Because referees are paid, the Victorian rules point to the employee check rather than the free volunteer one. The employee check costs $139.20 from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 and lasts five years.

The green whistle, and what parents can do

Basketball Victoria say more than half of their referees are under 18. The green whistle is how everyone in the stadium knows it: a referee blowing a green whistle is a teenager, and Basketball Victoria run it to protect referees under 18 as part of the Victorian Child Safe Standards.

If your child is refereeing, the most useful thing you can do on the sideline is the thing Basketball Victoria ask for. Tell the young referee they did a good job, and say something when other adults are behaving badly. Basketball Victoria says abuse from the sideline is one of the things that leads young referees to stop.

If something goes wrong, raise it with the club or association first. If that doesn't resolve it, Basketball Victoria have a complaint form and an anonymous reporting line on 1300 304 550.

Where refereeing can lead

Basketball Victoria's pathway starts with C Grade referees, who mostly referee junior domestic games. From there, associations nominate their most talented referees for Level 1, which covers the VJBL and the Country Basketball League.

Level 2 is the Big V, Level 3 is the strongest Big V divisions, and Level 4 is the NBL and WNBL. Plenty of referees never want to go past their local Saturday competition, and that's fine. For the ones who do, the ladder is there.

Rules change, too. A new edition of the FIBA Official Basketball Rules took effect worldwide on 1 October 2026, so trainees starting now will learn the new rules from day one.