Signups for Summer Referees

Students in grades 8-12th as of Fall 2024.

Adults to referee alongside and mentor student referees.

Adults will participate as much as they'd like through a weekly online referee sign-up form.

We will be in touch with additional details. Any questions can be sent to [email protected].

The Top Ten Rules for Refs

Congrats on being a GVBL referee. Here are a few things for you to take to heart as you represent the league on the court.

1. Your number one goal as a referee is to protect the safety of the kids. If a call airs on the side of question, call it. Keeping the kids safe is of the utmost importance and cannot be stressed enough.
2. Use your voice and your whistle. You have to be in command of the court to keep the games fair and safe.
3. READ THE RULES.
4. Do number 3 again.
5. Remember who you are officiating. Each division has a different set of rules to keep the games fair and fun for that level.
6. Speaking of fairness, remember to keep the games fair and equal. That includes giving equal playing time to each kid and keeping the defense where it needs to be.
7. Remember your positioning. Be where you can see the whole game as it happens.
8. Keep an eye on the clock and remember the 2-minute rules.
9. With the younger kids, be more of a coach than an official. Help to teach the rules, as well as enforce them.
10. When you step on the court as a referee you represent GVCO and its mission. Be sure to keep the games, fair, equal, fun, and above all, safe.

The Youngsters

If you've ever been attended a sporting event, you've probably witnessed a referee making a "bad call". These referees, umpires, line judges are some level of professional getting paid good money to call the game.

At GVBL, we have taken a different approach through the years. We are a community league giving the kids an opportunity to have fun and compete at the game of basketball. We ask volunteer moms, dads and former GVBL players from the community to ref the games.

We pair young student referees with adult referees until they become more comfortable with refereeing the games. Prior to the season, GVBL reaches out to our experienced adult referees for help. We pay the student referees $10 per game - think Wawa or gas money. We pay the adult referees $10 per game - think coffee or beer money. The referees doing the Boys HS division games get paid a little more because the level of play is much greater...but not nearly the going rate for this level game.

The Oldsters

The opportunity to ref gives the students a chance to "see" the game from a different perspective and teaches responsibility. In addition, we feel it's a good opportunity to give back to the league that they've enjoyed for many years.

Without student referees, the GVBL registration cost would be significantly higher. And hopefully everyone has a tougher time yelling at a student or neighbor from our community refereeing one of our GVBL rec league games.