As we all know by now, the shortage of referees that we experienced last season has continued into this season, and most likely will take a few years before we might see these numbers get back to where they need to be.

The problem has affected not only basketball but all types of minor sports throughout the country. Again, this is the result of the restrictions necessary to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the inability to organize any sort of group activity. In this case, providing training for basketball officials through organizations such as CMBA, and the equivalent.

Bottom line is that we do not have enough officials to provide referees for the Junior High School leagues for both  Calgary Board of Education and the Separate School Board while the senior high leagues are running. 

The solution that both boards came up with is to start the Junior High leagues later in the year, sometime in March, after the other leagues have completed play-offs. Which in our eyes, provides an opportunity for us to possibly extend our services for another 3 or so months.

We will look into this if our pool of referees would be interested in extending their services through another whole league period. Without your support and commitment to this we will not be able to do this, and obviously, won’t pursue this opportunity.

What we will need from you, the referees is a yes or no, and a firm commitment to help if you choose to do this. We think it’s a great opportunity to gain experience, earn some extra dollars and provide a much needed service to our young people who would love the opportunity to play basketball. 

We in the meantime will  contact the two school boards and see what opportunities there are.