Hoops

Female refs in NBL?

I've noticed that Perth Arena has never had Toni Caldwell refereeing any games yet so I'd like to see her in person before making that call but I enjoy her on the games she does on Tv.

I don't know exactly what the OP is trying to get at but I'd like to believe that if there is a referee out there good enough that the NBL try and lure them to do their games, it seems strange if they don't.

Watched an NBA game the other day and former Indiana Pacer Hayward Workman is now reffing NBA games and it makes me wonder why more NBL and WNBL players aren't transitioning into refereeing once their playing career comes to an end (for whatever reasons that may be injuries/opportunity etc). With the poorer wages a WNBL player will receive you'd imagine that becoming a referee would be an attractive pathway post playing....

Do we know of any former players that are making a name for themselves as refs?

On the original question, I wonder if female refs see the NBL as less attractive than WNBL. The two leagues both represent the pinnacle for domestic refs and a pathweay to international representation.

However, NBL refs seem to cop more abuse and vilification, usually coming from emotionally overwrought and very large people. Does that make NBL a less rewarding and more intimidating experience for refs than WNBL? Are (the current crop of) female refs less inclined to put themselves in that environment?

Is this likely or have I underestimated the crap WNBL refs get hurled at them?

Toni hasn't been on her game this year. There was one play in Cairns v Adelaide where she missed Shorter stepping back onto the half way line right in front of her, missed the fact he didn't plant both feet when coming in from out of bounds and then got the following out of bounds call wrong. I think that was the worst I've ever seen a ref both a single series of plays.

Not sure why Caldwell is getting so much stick, pretty sure we can all agree that the current state of refereeing in the NBL is poor, ruining games poor, with a complete lack of consistency. The young bloke who called the 2 unsportsmanlike fouls on United on Sunday should be busted back to D grade mens on a Sunday night, for example.

We already have a female, and before most other pro leagues yet now the complain is basically "more!"

Just need to make sure the pathway and encouragement is there for female refs at the jr level and the rest will take care of itself.

The main difference I see between the male refs and the one female ref I have seen is that she doesn't have the male tendency to anticipate calls like the men do. Knee jerking guess calls seem to be in the male province. The blondish lady, I think from Qld is one of the NBL's better referees. Doesn't seem to let insecurities affect her either. IMHO. Some of the men seem to suffer from a few!

Yes, let's shoehorn minorities and women into everything just because.

I am more worried about people getting the calls right as opposed to what genitals they have.

"She really struggled at U18 Nationals in 2016, yet was allocated to a gold medal game."

Watched her over-ref a game there (blew 75% of fouls) and thought "If she reffed herself, she would be fouled off in 5 mins."
I saw her play.

Michelle Cosier did not trial at the NBL pre-season blitz. She is a member of the NBL ERP program but was not invited to attend the NBL blitz this year.

Caldwell has reffed for about ten years now in NBL.

Whereas in the last few seasons leagues like AFL, NFL etc. kept bleating on about how they finally appointed female officials. *yawn*

We already have a female, and before most other pro leagues yet now the complain is basically "more!"

As the original anon said it is on merit not gender.

Hopefully Michelle is genuinely capable of refereeing at that level: she has been unjustifiably fast-tracked the past few years.

She really struggled at U18 Nationals in 2016, yet was allocated to a gold medal game. Next thing I hear she's refereeing WNBL, and now trialing for NBL.

http://www.refereebasketball.net.au/national-referees.html
there are quite a few on the national panel covers, wnbl and seabl and nbl. so pathway certainly is there for them. follow the link above and then link to panel

So if it's based on ability why do we have the one that's there? A token appointment if I've ever seen one

Booker, I would say new refs on the NBL panel are picked on performance at WNBL, SEABL and state league level etc to see if they are capable of stepping up. Would be interested to know from people who follow those comps closely if there are any women who really standout at that level.