Referees

Role overview

The referee is overall in charge of the tournament ensuring that the competition is conducted in accordance with the Laws of Badminton, the rules and regulations of the BWF and any other regulations for the specific tournament. The referee ensures that the competition is fair, safe and correct. The referee’s duties start with pre-tournament planning, checking or preparing the draws and schedule, and end after the tournament when the results are finalised and necessary reports are completed. The referee appoints and manages the other technical officials (umpires and line judges) in the tournament, and closely liaises with the event director and other tournament staff. The referee is also the key point of contact for players’, coaches’ and team managers’ queries regarding the competition.

Development and courses

Prior to becoming a qualified referee, it is essential to get involved and gain experience in organising and managing badminton tournaments. Referees often start as event volunteers, assisting at the match desk or performing other tournament-related tasks. This helps build an understanding of the tournament structure and some of the key underlying principles. Being a qualified umpire also offers a significant advantage.

The journey towards becoming a referee often involves 1-on-1 mentoring and/or shadowing a more experienced referee. Referee courses are relatively infrequent and are organised based on demand and on the facilitator availability. Courses are tailored to the background and requirements of the candidates, and can take between 1 and 2 days. Please contact toc@badmintonwa.org.au if you are interested in attending a referee course or if you want to find out more.

After the course, the candidates are offered to take a written theory exam. This exam follows the “open book” principle, meaning that the candidates can access the relevant regulations and other materials while working on the exam papers. The tasks included in the theory exam can take several hours to complete, which can be done by the candidates over 2-4 weeks.

Once the candidate passes the theory exam, a practical assessment will be organised. The candidate is appointed as the referee at one of the state level tournaments, and is supervised by an assessor. The assessor observes how the candidate handles all aspects of the referee’s role in the pre-tournament stage, during the tournament, and in the finalisation and reporting stage after the event. The candidate must demonstrate that they are competent in all key domains.

Qualification levels and pathways

Qualification level	Typical tournament levels	Activity requirements	Qualification awarded by
National Accredited Referee	Local and state level tournaments	Officiate in at least 2 state sanctioned tournaments per calendar year	Badminton Australia
National Certificated Referee	State and national tournaments	Same as National Accredited Referee, plus at least 1 national or higher-level event over a 2-year period	Badminton Australia
Oceania Accredited Referee	National and continental level tournaments	Same as National Certificated Referee, plus at least 1 international event in the Oceania region within a 2-year period	Badminton Oceania
Oceania Certificated Referee	National, continental and international tournaments		Badminton Oceania
BWF Referee	International / BWF tournaments	As appointed by BWF	Badminton World Federation