Officials' Handbook 2026/27

INTRODUCTION 

 

This document is designed to assist all officials who officiate in Basketball England’s National Basketball Leagues (NBL) and Junior National Basketball Leagues (JNBL). The details and guidelines can also be adopted for local and regional leagues to improve standards. 

 

All officials should be qualified and licenced to officiate in any game or competition that is affiliated to Basketball England. Officials should also ensure that the league or competition they officiate in, and its participants, are registered with Basketball England for their insurance to be valid. 

LICENSING 

 

All officials should be licensed before officiating any game either as a table official, referee or  

statistician. To obtain a license you are required create a membership profile accessible from the Basketball England Website and navigate through the licencing process.  

 

Officials 16 years or older are required to obtain a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Officials 18 years or older are also required to complete a safeguarding course which can be completed online. Only the Basketball England safeguarding course will be accepted. The DBS check and safeguarding certificate lasts for 3 years from the date it is obtained.  

 

More details regarding licensing, DBS and safeguarding requirements can be found on 

Basketball England’s website here:  

 

https://basketballengland.co.uk/membership/officials-registration  

Officials NBL Eligibility 

 

Basketball England is committed to ensuring that all officials perform their duties to the highest standard. 

 

Basketball England is responsible for appointing referees for all Senior National Basketball League (NBL) competitions, excluding NBL Division 3. NBL clubs are responsible for appointing all table officials, statisticians, and referees for competitions outside of the Senior NBL structure. 

 

The qualification level of officials that should be appointed to NBL competition games are outlined in NBL Regulations, Articles 41-44. 

 

Basketball England uses the Who's The Ref (WTR) portal (www.whostheref.com) to manage referee appointments for Senior NBL competitions. To be eligible for NBL game appointments, referees must meet the criteria outlined below. 

 

Officiating Conference 

 

NBL referees are required to attend a pre-season officiating conference. This conference provides officials with the information, guidance, and learning opportunities necessary to prepare for the upcoming season. 

 

Fitness Test 

 

To be eligible for appointments in NBL1, WNBL1, NBL2, and WNBL2, referees are required to complete the pre-season fitness test. Referees may complete the test either at a Regional Officiating Camp (ROC) or by submitting a video through Learning Nexus. 

 

Failure to complete the test, or to achieve the required standard, will result in restricted appointments. 

 

Minimum Standards 

 

NBL1 and WNBL1 - Minimum score: 66 laps (8 minutes) 

 

NBL2 and WNBL2 - Minimum score: 56 laps (7 minutes) 

 

Rules Test 

 

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

 

Completion of the rules test is mandatory for: 

 

• Referees seeking appointments in NBL1, WNBL1, NBL2, and WNBL2 

• Table officials and statisticians seeking NBL Finals appointments 

 

Test Format 

 

• 25 multiple-choice questions 

• Questions are selected from a published bank of 100 questions 

• Pass mark: 80% (20/25 correct answers) 

 

Officials who do not achieve the pass mark will have access to resit opportunities. However, appointment restrictions will remain in place until the required standard is achieved. 

 

 

Test Outcomes 

 

Referees who: 

 

• Do not attend the pre-season conference, 

• Do not complete the fitness test, 

• Do not achieve the required fitness standard, or 

• Do not achieve the required rules test score, 

 

may have their appointments restricted. 

 

In addition to these requirements, official competency and performance will remain key considerations when determining appointment eligibility and level of appointments. 

 

GAME DAY 

 

Referees for senior NBL games are required to arrive to their games in smart dress, polo, chinos and shoes for men and trousers/chinos/skirt with shoes for women. All officials are required to wear the Basketball England official’s uniform for their games. 

 

Uniform should be: 

 

• Referees - Basketball England official referee’s shirt (grey or volt #REDD), black trousers, black socks and black trainers. 

 

• Table Officials and Statisticians - Basketball England red top and/or hoodie/quarter zip, black trousers/jeans or skirt and black shoes/trainers.  

GAME PREPARATION 

 

It is essential that all officials are prepared for a game that they have been appointed to. The following guide is designed to assist all officials to prepare for their game to minimise the risk of any problems leading up to the game. References to WTR are specifically for referees. 

 

6 weeks in advance (minimum) - Update personal availability calendar within WTR. You are required to update your availability calendar even on days where games have been published, including weekdays. All contact details should also be logged in your WTR profile. 

 

3 weeks before the match - Games are published from the WTR platform. You will receive an email notification from WTR with details of the game(s) that you have been appointed to. 

 

You are required to log into your WTR account and accept or decline the game. This should be done within 48 hours of receiving the appointment. If you decline, please provide a reason for your decline. If you do not accept or decline, we will remove you from the game. 

 

5 days before the match day - The crew chief is responsible for contacting the umpire(s) to: 

 

• Exchange contact numbers 

• Confirm the traveling arrangements. Consider the following when arranging your departure time - weather, strike action, any traffic problems, sports/music events. 

• Confirm the location you will meet, i.e., meeting point if travelling together, car park of venue, café or reception of the venue. 

 

NBL referees’ contact details can be found in the WTR portal. If there is no response within 24 hours, please call your co-official to confirm arrangements. If there is no response at least 3 days before the match please email [email protected]. 

 

Match day 

 

• The Crew Chief is required to contact their co-official(s) to confirm agreed arrangements are still in place. 

• All referees are required to check the weather forecast and any incidents that might have occurred on the route that you plan to take. 

• Depart for the game so that the arrival time, at the venue, is at least 1 hour before the scheduled tip time. 

 

Before the game 
 

• The Crew Chief is required to check the court and equipment for its suitability and safety prior to the pre-game meeting and raise any concerns at the meeting.  

• Meet at the scorer’s table at least 1 hour before the scheduled tip time ready for the pre-game meeting (recommended 70 minutes prior). 

• The Game Day Delegate is required to conduct a pre-game meeting with team representatives and the officials. Pre-game agenda items which should be covered are: 

 

• Tip-off time 

• Uniform and team colours (no clashes, undergarments rules) 

• Equipment - table officials, visual score, 24 clock, PA system 

• Court / equipment check for safety and eligibility 

• Pre- or post-match events (including team introductions) 

• First aid cover, blood kit & defibrillator 

• Floor wipers 

 

• The table officials are required to run through their pre-game checks/duties with their crew: 

 

• Timing equipment 

• Table equipment: alternating possession arrow, team foul markers, personal foul markers 

• Table set up: table officials in correct order 

• Scoreboard 

• Sounding devices 

• Substitute’s chairs  

• Table Official’s pre-game meeting 

• Information from referees: licence cards, duties i.e., Crew Chief/Umpire 

 

• At least 40 minutes before the scheduled tip time the Crew Chief is required to conduct a pre-game meeting with their co-official(s). 

• 20 minutes prior to the scheduled tip-off time the referees should arrive on court, in uniform, to greet teams, table officials and statisticians. 

• At least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled tip-off time, the Scorer should ask each Coach to provide the starting five and sign the scoresheet.  

• The Crew Chief is required to meet with the table officials, check all licence cards of the table official, statisticians and team members and discuss any game points of emphasis. 

 

Under no circumstances should any team personnel participate in the game, which includes being seated on the bench, unless they hold a valid licence card. 

 

If there are some matters that do not meet regulation but do not affect the delivery or safety of the game, then the game can be played but the matter should be reported to Basketball England a [email protected] 

 

 

 

 

Post-game duties 

 

• Checking the Scoresheet - It is the Crew Chief’s responsibility to examine and check the scoresheet at the end of the game to approve it before it is signed. A scoresheet can be corrected at any time PRIOR to the crew chief’s signature if they believe an error has been made, even if this affects the final result.  

 

• In the event of any game day incidents both officials are required to complete a disciplinary report within 48 hours. Access the online disciplinary form on Basketball England’s website resource section. 

 

MATCH FEES & EXPENSES 

 

In National Cup competitions fees will be charged at the rate of the highest team taking 

part in the game. 

 

The rate does not change based on whether the game is officiated with two or three 

referees. 

This information is also supplied in the NBL Regulations in Appendix 4. 

 

For Junior NBL regular season games, the total match fee and expenses that may be claimed each game by each official shall not exceed a combined total of £37.00. 

 

For all Junior Playoff matches the £37.00 max claim will not apply to ensure suitable officials can be appointed. 

 

In all competitions, the Home Club shall be responsible for paying the match fees and 

expenses (all receipts for train/bus travel should be supplied along with the expenses 

claim form). 

 

For senior NBL games, expense forms should be submitted via the Wufoo forms found on the Basketball England’s Officials resources page.  

 

HMRC expects all payments to be made by bank transfer or cheque. All officials are responsible for paying their own taxes and National Insurance and must comply with HMRC regulations. 

 

Payments by BACS must be paid within seven clear working days of conclusion of the match. Payments made in cheque or cash must be made prior to the match. If you have not received payment after the seventh working day, email [email protected] and [email protected] a copy of your expense form so it can be raised with the club.  

TRAVEL POLICIES & PROCEDURES 

 

Game appointments are made based on the address that is detailed in your Basketball England membership profile. The travel expense rates to cover fuel costs and vehicle wear and tear is £0.45 per mile for personal car and £0.18 per mile for a company car. Expense forms should be completed on the day of the game using the online Wufoo form which is sent directly to the club. All expense forms are available on Basketball England’s website in the officials’ resource section. 

 

For travel on Transport for London (TfL) services using contactless or Oyster, a copy or screenshot of your TfL journey history, available through the TfL app or online account, showing the journeys made and fares charged should be available on request as proof of payment. 

 

Basketball England will endeavour to make nominations that do not exceed 180 miles combined for all referees (£81). 

 

TRAVELLING TOGETHER 

 

Where possible, officials should travel together to ensure costs are kept to a minimum. This is a key factor when planning your travel route and should be discussed in advance of the fixture. Officials are expected to travel by the shortest distance. If you wish to make alternative arrangements which may incur additional costs, then you are required to receive prior agreement from Basketball England’s Officiating Department. 

 

Basketball England will investigate any claim from a club believing that they have been overcharged and will spot check games across the season. If it is found that an official has overcharged, they will be required to pay back the difference and may face disciplinary action. 

 

OUT OF AREA APPOINTMENTS (OOAA) 

  

For the purposes of development, referees can apply to receive game appointments outside of their geographical location (locations 100 miles or more from you home address) in order to receive games, equal to the competency level or linked to the development programme you are involved in.  

 

The expectation is that officials have been appointed as a result of an OOAA application should sacrifice a portion of their travel cost, so that, the total cost for the referee crew does not exceed the 180-mile limit (£81). This could happen in one of four ways: 

 

1. Two officials travelling together out of area and claiming a combined 180 miles between them (2PO games). 

1. Three officials travelling together out of area and claiming a combined 180 miles between them (3PO games). 

1. One official travelling from out of area with a local official (2PO) or local officials (3PO). The official travelling from out of the area would charge the difference between the 180 miles total, and that of what the local referee(s) charge(s). 

1. Two officials travelling from out of area with a local official appointed. The officials travelling from out of the area would charge the difference between the 180 miles total, and that of what the local referee charges (3PO games). 

 

To apply for an OOAA please make it clear in the WTR note section which locations you would be willing to travel to, including the date(s). The information needs to be submitted 6 weeks in advance of any games you wish to be appointed to. 

 

Public transport 

 

If you are travelling to a game by public transport you are required to submit a copy of the ticket(s), which should display the ticket cost, together with your completed expenses form. Taxi journey’s need to be pre-approved. For public transport travel you can reclaim the actual fare paid up to a maximum of second-class ordinary return. 

 

Splitting travel expenses 

 

There may be occasions where you officiate two games in one day. If you are travelling from one game to another you are required to calculate the whole journey i.e., home to 1st venue to 2nd venue to home and divide these expenses equally between the two clubs. The exception to this is when a club would be charged more because of splitting the expenses equally than what they would be charged if the claim were home to venue to home. In this scenario you would charge the closer team for home to venue to home and charge the other team the balance of your travel. 

 

GAME APPOINTMENTS 

 

Availability Policy 

 

Referees are required to have their availability calendar up to date a minimum of 6 weeks in advance. Referees are also required to keep their availability calendar up to date regardless of whether that weekend’s games have been appointed to. It is expected that officials are available for at least 25 competition days through the season. 

 

Officials are also required to keep their city up to date and the mobile contact number field which should be made available for other referees to view. 

 

Competency group 

 

Referees have been placed into competency groups and details of the group you are in can be found in your WTR profile. You will be appointed to games according to your group. You will also receive games below your level of competency with a view of supporting less experienced officials. 

 

ADD IMAGE 

 

Referees who have not met the criteria will have restricted appointments. This includes those referees who do not maintain their competency standard. Geographical location could restrict appointments for referees who live in a location where games are sparse. Those officials should refer to the ‘Out of Area’ policy if they wish to officiate more games. 

 

Accept & decline policy 

 

You will receive an email notification (from WTR) which will detail game(s) you have been appointed to. You are required to accept or decline your appointment(s) within 48 hours. If you decline an appointment you are required to stipulate the reasons for your decline. If you do not accept or decline a game within 48 hours, you will be removed from that game. 

 

Once you have accepted an appointment you will be notified (by email via WTR) if any details of that game have changed such as a cancellation, tip time change, venue details change. Changes are administered by Basketball England’s Competitions Department. In the event of a tip time changing, you have a further 48 hours in which to accept or decline the appointment.  

 

You will also be updated about games that have been cancelled, postponed or forfeited. Games will be updated to reflect the cancellation and referees are required to log into WTR and confirm that they have been notified about the cancelled game. We will then remove the game from WTR. 

 

Player eligibility needs changing 

 

When checking licence cards, referees need to be aware of the player eligibility requirements for non-national players.  

 

• Division 1 Men - maximum 2 x non-national type 1 players 

• Division 1 Women, Division 2 Men, Division 2 & Division 3 Men – maximum 1 x non-national type 1 player 

 

U18 non-national type 1 players count towards the team’s total allowance for any game. 

 

There is no limit on the number of non-national type 2 players who can participate in a game. 

 

REPORTING 

 

DISCIPLINARY REPORTS 

 

Any disciplinary matter must be reported to Basketball England by all referees within 48 hours of the incident occurring or by Tuesday 12noon, whichever is earliest. If for any reason you are not able to adhere to this process, then you must contact Basketball England’s Competitions department ([email protected]) to inform them why the report will be late and how you will be sending it. 

 

Even if it was your colleague's actions and you did not actually disqualify a participant or coach, a report must still be submitted by you based on what you saw and heard. Failure to adhere to these regulations may affect your future appointments and disciplinary action may be taken against you. 

 

Any disqualifying foul or severe post-match misconduct must be reported, but a game disqualification for two technical fouls or two unsportsmanlike fouls or a combination of does not need to be reported. If a game is abandoned because a coach has received two technical fouls, three bench technical fouls or a combination, this should also be reported. More information on this below. 

 

Table officials and statisticians may report incidents that happen within games. 

 

The Discipline and Conduct department may contact you if they learn about a concern to request a report for something you didn’t deem reportable. 

 

We would advise that if you are unsure if you should report something, then do so. 

 

The Basketball England Report It Page can be accessed here: https://basketballengland.co.uk/safeguarding/report-a-concern  

 

Importance of disciplinary reports & their accuracy  

 

In some cases, these reports may be presented to solicitors acting for players or clubs, but in the first instance, clubs or individuals concerned receive a copy of the officials’ reports as part of the disciplinary process. 

 

Therefore, personal opinions on a particular person or party named within the report, or the nature of any penalty, or the?gravity of any penalty that should be applied, MUST NOT appear on the official’s report. Emotive comments should not be included. You only need report the facts including verbatim, actual comments or actions?made by any parties concerned, i.e., foul or abusive language. Failure to do so, or the inclusion of an official’s personal view, may adversely affect the disciplinary process.? 

 

REPORTS FOR ADANDONED GAMES 

 

Whenever a fixture is abandoned, the Crew Chief must submit a report to Basketball England to inform them of what happened. This must be reported no later than 23:59 on the day of the game. For your report you will need to include: 

• Written account of why the game was abandoned 

• A copy of the scoresheet 

• How much time was left in the quarter 

• How the game should be restarted (e.g. blue ball, inbound after a made basket) 

• Which way the Alternating Possession Arrow was facing.