Hawks to Recognise Referees at this weekend's home game.

The initiative comes just days after the NBL drew attention to the mistreatment of Referees and the league office's renewed stance of zero tolerance of this behaviour going forward. 

The Hawks stand in full support of the NBL's position, hosting eleven emerging Illawarra Basketball Association Referees at the game this Friday night for an exclusive pre-game experience with NBL officials Michael Aylen and James Griguol. 

Aylen and Griguol will share the game day routine of an NBL Referee providing insights into their domestic and international careers while offering advice to aspiring officials within the local association ranks.

Illawarra Hawks CEO Stu Taggart, expressed the importance of respecting the key role referees play in the ongoing growth of basketball across Australia, stating, 'Referees are an integral part of our game - It’s critical that all stakeholders across our Club and industry create an environment where referees and officials within both elite national competitions and grassroots basketball communities are respected and appreciated - This is particularly the case with young emerging referees.”

With NBL Head of Referees Scott Butler in full support of Friday night's initiative, sharing that “It’s incredibly encouraging to see the Illawarra Hawks highlighting respect for referees and emphasising the importance of referees in our sport. The sport needs all participants to grow together, and we can do this by understanding the role we each play, whether it be at a local or national level. The Illawarra Hawks are sending a very public signal they care about officials, particularly at the local level. It is integral to support the officials who are coming through the junior ranks and ensure they can perform and develop in a safe and respectful environment.”

The Illawarra Hawks are committed to working more closely with the IBA on this issue and have become aware of several problems around referee safety, which has led to a significant decline in referee participation at all levels of the sport.

IBA General Manager Oscar Forman is encouraged by the joint efforts of the Hawks and the IBA, sharing their "need to raise awareness of the local and state programs around referee support and their importance in junior sport as we head towards 2024 referee retention and recruitment". 

The Hawks will face the Perth Wildcats on Friday night, 8th December, with tip-off from 7:30 pm  AEDT at WIN Entertainment Centre