Gateball Australia needs to make some changes to its refereeing processes. Over the next few years the ACA will seek to comply with the requirements of the Australian Sports Commission’s National Officiating Accreditation Scheme. This is all part of the process by which the ACA will gain recognition for “Funded Status” with the ASC.

Gateball Australia’s process for referee accreditation has had to be revised. Other codes of mallet sports already have a reaccreditation process and Gateball now has a similar process.

Referees in other codes need to complete the Australian Sports Commission’s online Introductory Level Officiating General Principles Course. Gateball Referees will have to do that too. It only needs to be done once. The course is available here.

It’s a good idea to complete the course in short sessions rather than in one hit but, please remember, that you need to complete it in 6 months. It is also important that each person doing the online course course has their own email address.

If completing this course is a problem for anyone at your club, it would be great if the more computer savvy individuals could support those who are not. There may be Golf and Association referees at your club who may also be able to assist. Please contact your State Director/Chair/Coordinator if the problems cannot be solved.

Gateball referees will also need to keep a record of refereeing activity and information in order to maintain their accreditation – all that means is recording a game you have refereed, obtaining some feedback and showing you’ve kept up with current rules by participating in discussions. Having a copy of the current rulebook as a hard copy or downloaded to an appropriate device is also required.

To record these requirements, gateball referees will need to complete a simple reaccreditation card. A copy is to be found on this website, Go to About Gateball, Rules and Refereeing, then scroll through the page until you find the links to the two sides of the Reaccreditation Card. Your completed card should then be handed to your State Director/Coordinator/Chair at the beginning of the next year or the end of this year.

Your respective State Directors will let you know about specific arrangements for their states. Some hard copies of the card will be available from your SDG.

I’m happy to answer any questions or respond to comments.