MIES - 2017 was a busy and productive year for the FIBA Referee Department. Here is a look at some of the major initiatives and key moments of the past 12 months.

Game Officials Licensing 2017+

The project was implemented early in the year, with 800 referees and 300 commissioners licensed all over the world for a two-year period (2017-2019). The project was developed for a number of years prior to its final phase taking place in February-March 2017 in close cooperation with the Regional Offices, the FIBA Licensing Advisory Group and the FIBA Technical Commission, including also people from the National Federations during the workshops.

According to FIBA Head of Refereeing Carl Jungebrand, the new Game Officials Licensing System 2017+ has been primarily designed to promote both the excellence and professionalism of Game Officials. Additionally, the new licensing system will result in the national member federations being more actively engaged in the development, selection and promotion of the referees.

FIBA Referee Instructor Program (FRIP)

This is another extensive project carried out by the FIBA Referee Department. It was initiated in 2016 with more than 60 FRIP instructors in Europe who made the grade as Level 1 FIBA qualified Referee Instructors - which, for example, is what's required to be a FIBA National Referee Instructor. In late 2016 and throughout 2017 this was followed by courses and workshops in Asia (Thailand), Americas (Panama), Oceania (Gold Coast) and South-East Asia (Singapore), with the 76 participants from 37 national federations.

FRIP workshop in Singapore

"We are very excited with the FRIP content and its process," said Jungebrand. "We realized that in order to raise the standards of basketball referees worldwide, we first have to start with the new training and education of the referee instructors. Therefore, together with the experts, we have developed the program which consists of the 3 essential modules: Teaching & Learning, Basketball Knowledge and Refereeing."

FRIP workshop in Australia 

After the FRIP Level 1 Workshop - held in Australia from October 27-30 and hosted by Referee Instructors from across Australia and New Zealand - Albert Joseph, FIBA Referee Manager - Oceania, said: "It was great to have subject matter experts from across the FIBA global network working with the Oceania Instructors during this face to face workshop. I am confident that all the Instructors will implement the new learning points when working with the referees in making them better officials. It is certainly exciting times for referee education in the Oceania region."

FRIP workshop in Panama

Geraldo Fontana, FIBA Referee Manager - Americas, who witnessed the FRIP Level 1 workshop in Panama in April 2017 with the participation of 28 instructors from 22 federations, said: "The FRIP has definitely opened a new page in the Referee Instructors and Referees training in Americas. Of course, it's a demanding programme that requires an open mind, creativity and dedication. But we are very enthusiastic about the new methods and the opportunities of enhancing the skills."

The FRIP consists of 3 levels: the Level 1 qualification entitles FIBA instructors to educate referees on a national top level, while Levels 2 & 3 delve deeper into the FRIP topics and enable the FRIP qualified instructors to perform their functions on the Regional (Continental) and Global level respectively.

"It has become very obvious to us that the Refereeing knowledge alone is not sufficient enough when we talk about the modern officiating and the referee training. Therefore, teaching and learning techniques comprise up to 50 percent of the FRIP Level 1 content," Jungebrand pointed out. "After the completion of the Level 1 program, the referee instructors are equipped with the practical tools on how to best train the referees and how to effectively organize the active learning sessions with referees.

"Secondly, we have finally directed our focus to the game of basketball itself. The objective is clear: to increase the understanding of the game by instructors and referees. The FRIP Basketball Knowledge part includes the theoretical material on modern offensive and defensive basketball patterns, creating contact, individual techniques, game tempo and other. We are very thankful to the World Basketball Association of Basketball Coaches (WABC) for the close cooperation developing the FRIP content."

FRIP Level 2 workshop in Turkey 

Most recently, from December 14-17, the first FRIP Level 2 workshop was held in Istanbul, Turkey. During the intensive four-day session, the selected instructors from Europe, Asia, Americas and Oceania dug deeper into the knowledge and practical activities of Teaching & Learning, Basketball Knowledge and Refereeing. The participants are expected to complete the FRIP Level 2 qualification in May 2018, which will entitle them to provide services in FIBA's leading competitions as well as to train referees and instructors on the continental level.

In addition to these two major areas, 2017 was marked by the implementation of top referee preparations and training modules, including mental image training, team building activities, walk and talk through exercises and team communication drills. And this is just a sample of what will be available in the near future.

"We are very excited as we look ahead to 2018," Jungebrand said. "As well as the FRIP courses planned across the globe, the FIBA Referee Department - with its global team and referee experts in the Regional Offices - will continue working in close cooperation with the NBA and NCAA to strengthen the global operations as well as develop training programs for FIBA referees and national federations."

FIBA