The Amateur Basketball Academies (ABA) will organize a three-day referees’ clinic from July 9 to 11, 2026, as part of preparations for its maiden championship.

In a statement by its Head of Media and Public Relations, Mr Kayode Adeniyi,,the clinic is scheduled to take place at Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, is targeted at young male and female participants between the ages of 17 and 25 who are passionate about basketball officiating.

The decision was reached during a four-hour Board meeting held at the Multi-Purpose Indoor Hall of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

The Board also approved that participants must be students with a sound knowledge of basketball, drawn from schools within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs.

According to the Association, the clinic is aimed at developing a new generation of basketball officials who are equipped with modern officiating techniques in line with international standards. It is also designed to create career opportunities for young people interested in basketball officiating while strengthening the quality of officiating at the grassroots level.

The three-day programme will feature both classroom and practical sessions. Practical training will cover court positioning and movement, rotation, officiating mechanics, whistle techniques and timing, as well as the application of violations and fouls. Classroom sessions will focus on the rules of the game, interpretation of basketball regulations, types of violations and fouls, and effective game management.

As part of its grassroots development initiative, the ABA Board also approved an advocacy tour to Taraba, Gombe, Adamawa, and Benue States to expand the Association’s activities nationwide. The planned visits follow the successful organization of a coaches and trainers’ clinic in Minna, Niger State, last month.

In another key resolution, the Board agreed to decentralize the venues for the maiden ABA Championship by utilizing different zones across the Federal Capital Territory, rather than staging all matches within the city centre. The move is aimed at promoting wider participation and taking basketball closer to local communities.

The Board further urged members to remain committed to the Association’s vision, reiterating that the Amateur Basketball Academies was established to unite basketball academies across Nigeria under one umbrella and promote grassroots basketball development, rather than serve as a platform for politics.

Board members present at the meeting included ABA President DC Aliyu Lucky Abubakar, Mazi Valentine Orji, Kayode Adeniyi, Coach Adeka Daudu, Coach Emmanuel Odah, Coach Alex Ujoh, Coach Oyekan Oyedeji, and the Board Secretary, Genevieve Ogechi Ihenewengwa.