Association President, Basketball Australia Hall of Fame Member, Tuesday Court 1 Scorer Avis Scullin OAM gives an insight into the world of score table officials in Victoria.
Basketball Associations require volunteers to be able to run their domestic competition. Players pay to come in the door. Referees are paid for the games they officiate. The scoring and timing of games is done by volunteers usually a family member.
Most basketball associations have a state competition. The score table officials working these games are paid a small fee to cover their costs. The associations also require a score table official who acts as the convenor for the year. The convenor is responsible for setting the roster and ensuring the officials maintain their rule knowledge. This is a voluntary position.
The National Junior competitions also requires score table officials. These officials are usually not paid. They are given a meal voucher if they work during the meal breaks. The reward is watching the future basketballers play.
While basketball volunteers can be the forgotten people, they also can sometimes be the most rewarded. National and International games are usually worked by volunteers The officials who worked Sydney Olympic games were all volunteers who paid their own way to the games and their accommodation.