BODY SHAMING Response From the Coaches: I am writing to follow up on an incident that occurred during our 7/8 girls game last night involving one of your players and one of mine. As I’m sure you are aware, your player was given a technical foul and ejected for making a comment about my player’s body. While I appreciate the official and coach addressing the situation immediately, I wanted to reach out directly because of the lasting impact moments like this can have, especially on young female athletes. My player was deeply hurt by the comment. These girls are still forming their confidence and sense of self, and…
-
-
Fighting in Games
FIGHTING BETWEEN PLAYERS This is the referee report concerning this incident. On Oct 19, 2025 (Sun) @ Prolific Sports NE court # 3 there were 3 fights on the 3rd game between the Purple vs Green / Orange team. These are: 1st fight … approx. 3 min left of the game, #1 Purple player did a hard foul on #10 Green / Orange player that was called by my partner as a U foul, #10 player not liking the foul, grabbed the #1 purple player shirt right below his neck, resulting in both players holding each other’s shirt while throwing punches. It took six players, me, Allan & Aiden to separate / break the fight.…
-
The Raptors Are In Town
THE RAPTORS ARE IN TOWN On Friday, October 3rd, the NBA Toronto Raptors held an open practice at the University of Calgary. Ticket sales were used to support local charities and Calgary didn’t disappoint, with a sold out event that had the Jack Simpson gymnasium packed. The noise levels were epic and I wished for some ear plugs on several occasions. It was great fun and I was happy to see this level of interest and support for charities and basketball in Calgary,
-
The Game is 134 Years Old
The History of Basketball James Naismith was a Canadian physical educator who invented basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891 to keep his students active during the winter. The game was an immediate success and the sport spread. The first basketball game used baskets as hoops and turned into a brawl. Soon after, the game evolved into a pillar of American sports. During the first basketball game played in 1891, players dunked balls and scored points in a basket normally used to collect peaches. A winter storm had forced students at the International YMCA Training School, now known as Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts, to stay indoors. The usual winter gym…
-
REFEREES WANTED
REFEREES WANTED We’ve just finished the summer league games and have a few weeks break before the fall season begins, as well as the pre-season exhibition and tournaments start for school ball. Time for a break? Not a chance, we need to recruit referees for the upcoming school and tournament season which starts later in September. If any of our members know of referees who would be a good addition to the group, please pass on our contact information. We are also advertising through social media, and work ads on Kijiji and various other platforms. We do find that the tested and true method of ‘word of mouth’…
-
Summer Leagues
THE SUMMER WRAP-UP Our summer season finished today with Brodie League NE games. Five playoff games that featured the gold, silver and consolation games, as well as 2 All-Star games. With the addition of the Brodie League summer season, as well as Primetime Sports tournaments through 10 of 12 months of the year, we have been able to keep a number of our referees busy through times of the year that traditionally have little to no basketball games happening. From the rumour mill, we have heard that the summer season might get busier and busier with additional leagues and teams being added to our already existing customers. Great news…
-
New 2024 FIBA Rules
NEW FIBA RULES EFFECTIVE 2024 FIBA has made some changes to some of the rules, effective 2024, and we strongly recommend officials spend some time looking at these. The changes can be found in the link we have provided below, in our website footer area. These are rules that are not just a once in a while call, but quite regularly used throughout the game. We strongly recommend you understand them, as you will be called to use them on occasion.
-
Annual AGM
EARLY FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING We would like to hold an in-person general meeting in early September to discuss a number of membership items. This will be a mandatory meeting, and we will provide enough lead time for referees to block off a couple of hours of their time. We will notify our members by email, and also a notice on the website.
-
2025 – 2026 Membership Renewals
2025 – 2026 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS Renewals for your yearly membership are due by June 1st, 2025. Late renewals will be charged a surcharge fee, and details can be found on our MEMBERS ONLY page. If you are planning on remaining with our group, please renew your membership on time and avoid the additional surcharge.
-
NBA in Calgary
TORONTO RAPTORS Training Camp Monday, September 29 to Friday, October 3 University of Calgary, Jack Simpson Gym Open practice on Friday, Oct. 3 – tickets on sale Aug.27 through link