How do I stay active and move up a grade?

Question

Accepted Answer

Under the Badminton South Africa Technical Officials (BSATO) commissions, in effect from 1 July 2026:

To stay active

Umpires: officiate at a BSA sanctioned tournament and be listed on the BSATO report at least once every two years, and stay affiliated and in good standing with a province or corporate.
Referees: act as Referee or Deputy Referee at at least one BSA sanctioned event every two years.
Officiating at an international event sanctioned by Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) or BWF counts as a BSA sanctioned event for staying active.
If you go inactive, you must do a refresher course for your grade and then, within three months, officiate at one BSA sanctioned tournament (umpires) or act as Referee/Deputy Referee at one BSA sanctioned event (referees).

Minimum time in grade before upgrading

From	To	Time held
BSA Accredited Umpire	BSA Certificated Umpire	3 years
BSA Accredited Umpire	BSA Accredited Referee	2 years
BSA Certificated Umpire	BCA Accredited Umpire (nomination)	2 years
BSA Accredited Referee	BSA Certificated Referee	3 years

To upgrade, meet all the criteria and have your provincial BSATO committee member send a signed letter requesting the upgrade at least six weeks before the evaluation. You can't apply directly to BCA for continental evaluation: BSATO nominates candidates. It's your own responsibility to gain experience and upgrade. BSATO recommends every umpire and referee is appraised by an assessor at least once every three years.