Officials' Handbook 2026/27

This handbook is here to support referees, table officials and statisticians working across Basketball England competitions.

It sets out what we expect from officials before, during and after a game, as well as useful information on appointments, travel, expenses and reporting.

While some requirements are specific to the National Basketball League (NBL) and Junior National Basketball League (Jnr. NBL), many of the principles in this handbook can also be used in local and regional competitions.

All officials must be appropriately qualified and licensed before officiating in a Basketball England-affiliated game or competition.

Officials should also make sure the competition they are working in, and its participants, are registered with Basketball England where required to ensure the appropriate insurance cover is in place.

You must hold a valid Basketball England licence before officiating as a referee, table official or statistician.

You can find information on obtaining and renewing your licence here.

Officials aged 16 or over are required to have the appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Officials aged 18 or over must also complete Basketball England’s safeguarding course. Only the Basketball England safeguarding course is accepted for this requirement.

DBS checks and safeguarding requirements must be kept up to date in line with Basketball England requirements.

Basketball England wants officials working in the NBL to be properly prepared and able to perform their role to the required standard.

Basketball England centrally appoints referees to senior NBL competitions, excluding NBL Division 3.

Clubs are responsible for appointing table officials and statisticians, as well as referees for competitions that are not centrally appointed by Basketball England.

The minimum qualification levels required for NBL games are set out in Articles 42–44 of the NBL Regulations.

Basketball England uses Who’s The Ref (WTR) to manage centrally appointed referee appointments.

To be eligible for NBL appointments, referees must meet the relevant requirements below.

Pre-season Officiating Conference

NBL referees are required to attend a pre-season Officiating Conference.

The conference provides the latest information, guidance and learning to help referees prepare for the season ahead.

Fitness test

Referees wishing to receive appointments in NBL1, WNBL1, NBL2 and WNBL2 must complete the pre-season fitness test.

The test can be completed at a Regional Officiating Camp (ROC) or by submitting a video through Learning Nexus.

The minimum standards are:

NBL1 and WNBL1: 66 laps (8 minutes)
NBL2 and WNBL2: 56 laps (7 minutes)

If you do not complete the fitness test or meet the required standard, your appointments will be restricted.

Rules test

Referees, table officials and statisticians must complete the pre-season rules test through Learning Nexus.

Completion is mandatory for:

• referees seeking appointments in NBL1, WNBL1, NBL2 and WNBL2; and

• table officials and statisticians wishing to be considered for NBL Finals appointments.

The test consists of 25 multiple-choice questions, with a pass mark of 80% (20/25). You will have one hour to complete it.

If you do not achieve the pass mark, you will have opportunities to resit the test. Appointment restrictions will remain in place until the required standard has been achieved.

Appointment eligibility

Referee appointments may be restricted if you:

• do not attend the required pre-season conference;

• do not complete the fitness test;

• do not meet the required fitness standard; or

• do not achieve the required rules test score.

Meeting these requirements does not automatically guarantee appointments at a particular level. Your competency, performance, availability and location will also be considered when appointments are made.

Dress and uniform

Referees working senior NBL games should arrive in smart-casual clothing, for example a Basketball England polo, trousers and suitable shoes.

All officials must wear the appropriate Basketball England officials’ uniform while working their game.

Referees
Basketball England referee shirt (grey or volt #REDD), black trousers, black socks and black trainers.

Table officials and statisticians
Basketball England red T-shirt (#REDD) and/or quarter zip (#REDD), with black trousers, jeans or skirt and black shoes or trainers.

Good preparation makes game day easier for everyone. The following timeline sets out what referees should do in the build-up to an appointment.

References to WTR in this section apply specifically to referees.

At least six weeks before

Keep your WTR availability calendar up to date at least six weeks in advance.

This includes dates where games have already been published and midweek availability.

Make sure your contact details and current location are also correct in WTR.

When appointments are published

Appointments are normally published from around three weeks before the game.

You will receive an email from WTR when you have been appointed.

Log in and accept or decline within 48 hours. If you decline, please give a reason.

If you do not respond within 48 hours, you may be removed from the appointment.

Five days before the game

The Crew Chief should contact the other referee(s) to:

• exchange or confirm contact numbers;

• agree travel arrangements;

• agree where and when the crew will meet; and

• consider anything that could affect the journey, including weather, traffic, public transport disruption and major events.

NBL referee contact details are available through WTR.

If a colleague has not responded within 24 hours, try calling them. If you still have no response three days before the game, contact [email protected].

On game day

The Crew Chief should contact the crew to make sure the agreed arrangements are still in place.

Check the weather and your planned route before leaving. Allow enough time for delays and plan to arrive at the venue at least one hour before tip-off.

We recommend arriving around 70 minutes before tip-off where possible.

Court and equipment

The Crew Chief should check the court and equipment before the pre-game meeting and raise any safety or suitability concerns.

Officials should be at the scorer’s table at least one hour before tip-off and ready for the pre-game meeting.

Game Day Delegate meeting

The Game Day Delegate should conduct a pre-game meeting with team representatives and officials.

This should cover:

• scheduled tip-off time;

• team uniforms and colours, including any clashes and undergarment requirements;

• table equipment, scoreboard, shot clock and PA system;

• court and equipment safety;

• any pre- or post-game activities, including team introductions;

• first aid cover, blood kit and defibrillator; and

• floor wipers.

Table officials

The table officials should complete their own pre-game checks, including:

• timing equipment;

• alternating possession arrow;

• team and personal foul markers;

• correct seating/order at the table;

• scoreboard;

• sounding devices; and

• substitute chairs.

The table crew should also hold a short pre-game meeting and confirm any information or instructions received from the referees.

Referee pre-game

At least 40 minutes before tip-off, the Crew Chief should conduct a pre-game meeting with the referee crew.

At 20 minutes before tip-off, referees should be on court in uniform and ready to greet the teams, table officials and statisticians.

At least 10 minutes before tip-off, the Scorer should ask each Head Coach to confirm their starting five and sign the scoresheet.

The Crew Chief should meet with the table officials, complete any required licence checks and discuss relevant points of emphasis for the game.

No team personnel should participate in the game, including sitting on the team bench, unless they meet Basketball England’s registration and licensing requirements.

If something does not meet competition regulations but does not prevent the game being played safely, the game should normally continue and the issue should be reported to [email protected].

Match fees are set out in Appendix 4 of the NBL Regulations.

For National Cup games, the fee is based on the highest-level team taking part.

The fee does not change depending on whether the game is officiated using two-person or three-person mechanics.

Junior NBL

For Junior NBL regular-season games, each official’s combined match fee and expenses must not exceed £37 per game.

The £37 maximum does not apply to Junior NBL Playoff games, allowing suitable officials to be appointed where additional travel is required.

Who pays?

The home club is responsible for paying officials’ match fees and expenses.

Receipts or other proof of payment should be provided for public transport where required.

For WNBL1/NBL1 and WNBL2/NBL2 games, expense claims should be submitted using the Wufoo forms available on the Officials’ Resources page.

Officials are responsible for their own tax and National Insurance obligations.

Submitting your claim

Expense claims for games played during the previous week must be submitted by 09:00 on Monday, including claims submitted through third-party payment platforms.

Claims received after this deadline will be treated as being submitted in the following week.

Teams must make sure BACS payments have cleared into the official’s account no later than the second Tuesday after the claim was submitted.

If payment has not been received by the second Wednesday, submit Basketball England’s Late Payment Form so that the payment can be followed up.

Appointments are based on the address recorded in your Basketball England membership profile, so please make sure this is kept up to date.

The mileage rates are:

Personal vehicle: £0.45 per mile
Company vehicle: £0.18 per mile

Basketball England will aim to make referee appointments where the combined mileage claim for the crew does not exceed 180 miles (£81).

Travelling together

Where practical, referees should travel together. It keeps costs down and should be considered when agreeing travel arrangements with your crew.

Officials are expected to base mileage claims on the shortest reasonable route.

If you want to make alternative travel arrangements that will result in additional costs, you must agree these with Basketball England’s Officiating Department in advance.

Basketball England may check expense claims during the season and investigate concerns raised by clubs. If an official has overclaimed, they may be required to repay the difference and the matter may be dealt with under Basketball England’s disciplinary procedures.

Public transport

If travelling by public transport, submit the ticket or receipt showing the amount paid with your expense claim.

You can claim the actual fare paid, up to the cost of a standard/second-class return journey.

Taxi journeys must be approved in advance.

For journeys on Transport for London (TfL) services using contactless or Oyster, keep a copy or screenshot of your TfL journey history showing the journeys made and fares charged. This may be requested as proof of payment.

Splitting travel expenses

If you officiate two games at different venues on the same day, calculate the complete journey:

Home → Game 1 → Game 2 → Home

The travel cost should normally be divided equally between the two clubs.

However, a club should not pay more than it would have paid for a normal home-to-venue-to-home journey. Where this happens, charge the nearer club its normal return journey cost and charge the remaining balance to the other club.

Referees can request appointments outside their normal geographical area for development purposes.

An Out of Area Appointment is generally an appointment 100 miles or more from your home address and may provide opportunities at your competency level or as part of a development programme.

Because Basketball England aims to keep the total crew mileage claim within 180 miles (£81), referees requesting an OOAA may need to contribute towards some of their own travel.

Examples include:

two out-of-area referees travelling together and claiming a combined maximum of 180 miles for a 2PO game;

three out-of-area referees travelling together and claiming a combined maximum of 180 miles for a 3PO game;

one out-of-area referee working with local referee(s), with the out-of-area referee claiming the remaining mileage available within the 180-mile crew limit; or

two out-of-area referees working with one local referee, with the two travelling officials sharing the remaining mileage available within the limit.

To request an OOAA, add a note to your WTR availability stating where you are willing to travel and on which dates.

Please do this at least six weeks before the relevant games.

Availability

Keep your WTR availability calendar updated at least six weeks in advance, including dates where appointments have already been published.

Officials are expected to be available for at least 25 competition days during the season.

Make sure your current city and mobile number are also correct in WTR and that your mobile number is available to other referees where required.

Competency groups

Referees are placed into competency groups. Your current group can be found in your WTR profile.

Appointments will be made with your competency group in mind, but this does not mean you will only receive games at that level. You may also be appointed to games below your competency level to support the development of less experienced officials.

Appointments can be restricted where eligibility or competency requirements have not been met.

Your geographical location can also affect the number of appointments available. If there are limited games in your area and you would like additional opportunities, see the Out of Area Appointments section.

Accepting and declining appointments

When you receive an appointment through WTR, please accept or decline it within 48 hours.

If declining, provide a reason.

If you do not respond within 48 hours, you may be removed from the game.

Once accepted, WTR will notify you of changes including cancellations, postponements, venue changes and tip-time changes.

If the tip time changes, you will have a further 48 hours to accept or decline the revised appointment.

Disciplinary reports

Reportable disciplinary incidents must be reported by all referees within 48 hours of the incident or by 12:00 on Tuesday, whichever is earlier.

If you cannot meet this deadline, contact the Basketball England Competitions Department at [email protected] as soon as possible. Explain why the report will be late and when it will be submitted.

If another referee made the decision or issued the disqualification, you must still submit your own report based on what you personally saw and heard.

Failure to submit a required report may affect future appointments and could result in disciplinary action.

Disqualifying fouls and serious post-game misconduct must be reported.

Game disqualifications resulting only from the relevant combination of Category 1 technical fouls and/or flagrant fouls do not require a disciplinary report.

Table officials and statisticians can also submit reports about incidents they witness during a game.

Basketball England’s Discipline and Conduct team may contact you and ask for a report about an incident you did not initially consider reportable.

If you see or hear something concerning that does not fall within your role as a basketball official, use Basketball England’s Report a Concern process.

If you are unsure whether something should be reported, report it.

Disciplinary Report Form: [link]

Report a Concern: [link]

Writing a disciplinary report

Your report may be shared with the clubs and individuals involved in the disciplinary process and, in some cases, with legal representatives.

For that reason, your report should be factual, accurate and objective.

Explain what you personally saw and heard, including relevant words or actions. Where necessary, quote the actual language used.

Do not include:

• your personal opinion of an individual or club;

• emotive or judgemental comments;

• your view on what punishment should be given; or

• speculation about somebody’s intentions.

Your role is to explain what happened, not to decide the outcome of the disciplinary process.

If a game is abandoned, the Crew Chief must submit an abandoned game report to Basketball England by 23:59 on the day of the game.

The report should include:

• a written account explaining why the game was abandoned;

• a copy of the scoresheet;

• the time remaining and the quarter when the game was abandoned;

• how play should restart, for example which team is entitled to the ball and where the throw-in should take place; and

• the direction of the alternating possession arrow.

Abandoned Game Report: [link]