Im already paying $9 a game. With 6 or 7 generally playing that equates to about $1 per 3 minutes.

All that $9 seems to get me is the court to play on and hopefully 2 refs but half the time its only 1.
No ball supplied, no scorers, the scoreboard often doesnt work and even a couple of times the lights havnt all been working.

I personally wouldnt be willing to pay more than that.

Skip, I see your point; I beleive, however, the way to get more , better quality umpires is to make the job more attractive. With more people in the job, the better performers would get more games, hence encouraging others to lift their own performance.

Elbows, where wre you a year ago wheb BASA (as it was known then) made the popular decision to raise entry fees and cut player insurance with the promise of the extra money going to umpires via payment and training? IMO it has proved a flop, so please put the fees back to what they were.

More incentives for umpires, including more of a social out-of-the-game aspect - ref functions, discount at the bar after a game, that sort of thing. Redistribute funds from the last increase in fees so that the refs see more instead of just putting it into development and the old debt.

Would that help?

Are referees occasionally surveyed about what matters to them?

Are referees occasionally surveyed about what matters to them?

Isaac, you must be joking??? ha ha

nah seriously survey would actualy be a fantastic idea because I am sure each umpire would have different ideas.

I think if there is extra money then it should go to junior pay increases.

The ABA ref's are paid fairly but need to keep filling the pipe in juniors.

More sponsership would help too for further development people and on court coaching.

I think we're burning out the refs at the moment. Some are doing a full roster Friday night, followed by an 8:30am start & a full roster Saturday morning. They may also do other nights during the week and social or church in the afternoons over the weekend. No wonder they occasionally look at bit jaded.

Who would I speak to about umpiring Fri night district? Any takers?

Neil Poulton
Manager, Referee Development
Basketball SA
Telephone: (08) 8444 6416

Good on you lockstock.

Isaac , are you sucking up because Sturt are playing the grand final this week ?? ;P


re Stadium Fees
I went and watched my sister coach an U/21 Womens game at Marion and was "slugged" $4.50 to be a spectator.
I asked the lady at the desk how come it costs so much and she replied that it went up years ago and that she was surprised that i was paying $3 elsewhere. Can anyone fill me in on what the score is ?
- i am in no way suggesting anything sinister, just curious.
Are friday night games more expensive than Monday night games ? Why ?

Skyhook, hadn't even entered my mind to be honest. Had just had some emails recently from refs and players (who were looking at walking away from the sport because of refs) and had asked a couple of people what they thought about it all.

Thanks Jimmy ;)

Oh and thanks Isaac too for those details

Hangin Around, I wasn't aware of that. One can only hope that now the 36ers are not BSA's responsibility, their focus would be on all facets of local basketball. As lovers of the game, it is our responsibility to look to the future, not to lament the failings of the past.

I think much of the problem stems from the way in which monetary matters are carried out. In football it seems the money filters from the AFL down to SANFL and then through juniors. Whereby the money from the top is invested to develop junior programs etc. Unfortunately for basketball the opposite seems to be the case. The juniors pay for the ABA league which helps (or used to help) fund the sixers and the money moves up the chain instead of down. Thus making basketball a game where only the wealthy have a chance at playing juniors. Thereby eliminating a larger pool to select from, draining junior funding, and causing various other problems such as lack of funds for umpires. No idea what can be done about it, just an observation I've made over the years. Feel free to correct me if I'm way off the mark.

I think you're on the right track stockton, but we don't have the TV money to distribute like the AFL has.

Any suggestions on improvements?

BTW, at about $1,500 for a full year (entry fees, uniforms, club fees & incidentals) the cost of junior basketball compares very favourably with other sports. Tennis & cricket as examples have much higher equipment costs.

It costs about 50% more to hire a basketball court than a squash court. Ten players (plus subs) versus two.

It's a long road. Get the NBL on TV. Get more sponsors and fans back to the game. Get a bigger TV deal. Then there might be something that can be passed down the chain.

A shorter road might be letting the NBL clubs look after themselves and focus on making the ABL more self-sufficient. Would probably need 500+ people to games or other revenue streams. 500+ is fine for the Dome, Woodville or Pasadena with stands (maybe MVale too? Or Mt Barker if you packed people in?), but would be impossible for Hillcrest, Marion, etc.

Which is more feasible?