Also known as Technical Officials or Court Officials, our officials are fundamental to the integrity of the badminton game. There are three (3) key roles for smooth competition in badminton, the line judge, the umpire and the referee.
Line Judges
Line judges have an impartial role to signal when the shuttlecock lands in or outside of the badminton court boundary at the end of a rally. A line judge sits outside and around the badminton court, and is usually responsible for one or two (1-2) court line paths.
Basic training is available with the Badminton Victoria Court Officials Committee to become a line judge at competitions of club, state and national levels. Formal qualification and international opportunities are also available from Badminton Oceania and Badminton World Federation.
Umpires
An umpire has the authority over a particular match and is in charge of the court and its immediate surrounds. The umpire ensures the match is conducted in accordance with the Laws of Badminton and any other regulations pertinent to the specific tournament.
An umpire is required for badminton competition, where one (1) umpire is assigned to a court for a particular match. The umpire typically sits on a highchair placed at the end of the net for an optimal view of their court.
Information and calls that an umpire would need to make during a match could be any of the following:
- Keep a tally of the score which is announced after each point
- Keep a tally of the games during the match
- Call on faults or lets
- Make note of any misconduct to report them to the referee
An Umpire will be in charge of the court area from the time that the players and umpire enter the court until the time that they leave after the conclusion of the match. The Umpire reports to and acts under the authority of the Referee.
An umpire is required for badminton competition, where one umpire is assigned to a court for a particular match. The umpire typically sits on a badminton-specific highchair placed at the end of the net for an optimal view of their allocated court.
Formal umpire training and qualification is provided by the Badminton Victoria Court Officials Committee (Badminton Australia National Umpire Accreditation and Certification). However, more international opportunities are open to umpires with qualifications from Badminton Oceania and Badminton World Federation.
Service Judges
A person with an umpire certification or accreditation may be assigned duties of the service judge during badminton events.
The service judge is responsible for indicating service faults when they occur.
When allocated, one (1) service judge is assigned to a court for a particular match. The service judge sits on a chair at ground level, directly opposite the umpire of the match.
Referees
The referee oversees the entire tournament/competition and must ensure that the tournament is conducted within the Laws of Badminton, the rules and regulations of the Badminton World Federation and any other specific regulations that apply to the specific competition.
The referee ensures that the players are given facilities (including practice facilities) and playing conditions of an appropriate standard and safety, approval of the program of play and practice schedule, ensuring the transport setup will meet the needs of the events and the overall monitoring of matters related to the fair and proper conduct the tournament for the players.
A referee is required for all badminton competition sanctioned by state, national and international bodies of the sport - a minimum of 1 referee per tournament. The referee is seated at the match control away from the field of play and with a view of all umpires on competition courts.
Formal referee training and qualification is provided by the Badminton Victoria Court Officials Committee (Badminton Australia National Umpire Accreditation and Certification). However, more international opportunities are open to referees with qualifications from Badminton Oceania and Badminton World Federation
BWF Technical Officials Manuals
For more information on on BWF Technical Official Manuals, please refer to the BVCOC website
Badminton Victoria Court Officials Committee
The BVCOC is the operational volunteer group who supports opportunities and development of badminton court officials in Victoria, Australia.
Contact the BVCOC for:
- Requests for the presence of court officials at badminton competitions
- Requests for training and development of court officials
- Enrolling in upcoming courses for court officials accreditation and certification
- Expressions of interest to officiate at upcoming events
- Advice on the Laws of Badminton
For more information please refer to the BVCOC website
