DUBROVNIK - Some of the best emerging referees in Europe recently gathered in the Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik as part of an annual and highly-successful programme for aspiring officials and national referee instructors.

Now in its eighth edition, the event witnessed 53 individuals participate in two identical clinics, designed to prepare the officials for the forthcoming season, where they will be working each week with their own referee coach who will support and mentor them as the campaign unfolds.

Each mentor has been designated six to seven referees under their remit and will work with the officials to maximise their development and progress during the course of all club and national team competitions.

The three-day programme also included a range of theory and practical officiating sessions, which provided a wide variety of learning opportunities for those present.

Head of FIBA Refereeing Department Carl Jungebrand was present and praised the work of those involved.

"It was a good clinic organised within the framework of the 'Standard Quality Global Connection' - our centralised and co-ordinated referee strategy plan for the next 10 years.

"As is a trademark of FIBA Europe referee clinics, the programme was well analysed in advance and well prepared.

"I believe everybody got something out of it."

Meanwhile, Head of FIBA Europe's Referee Department Richard Stokes added: "I felt it was essential that we offered the officials a number of different viewpoints, as well as giving the referees and instructors some additional advice in both physical and mental preparation.

"Therefore, our use of sports psychologists, physiologists and officials from other sports, as well as expert speakers from our basketball community formed the basis of these meetings.

"Our physiologist Alejandro Vaquera, who is now also working with FIBA, is a regular contributor to these meetings, but we were very lucky to also have former FIFA referee Roberto Rosetti from Italy as one of our speakers, along with sports psychologist Dubravka Martinovic.

"Both gave excellent presentations on the preparation and necessary qualities that our officials must possess.

"In addition, we welcomed back former NBA referee Ronnie Nunn who has also been a regular both here and in our top competitions such as EuroBasket."

Professional basketball coach Saso Filipovski was also on hand in the practical sessions, demonstrating the more technical aspects of player movement and contact that is both coached and employed by players during the game.

"It was my pleasure to be part of the clinic held in the very beautiful city of Dubrovnik," enthused Filipovski.

"It was very productive with very good referee coaches who were systematical in their approach to their teachings and it was great to witness basketball from a different perspective."

During the course of the programme, all of the attending referees officiated games involving top-level junior teams.

These were used as a workshop for the national instructors to analyse the performance of the officials, as well as creating a workshop where this analysis could be turned into feedback, which in turn, was also assessed by the FIBA Europe Referee Department.

FIBA