This is a real first for international basketball. The Fédération Française, ranked 3rd in Europe, has officially approved the use of the Vokkero® Squadra communication system for the 2015/2016 season. It is now the first basketball federation in the world to provide top-level referees the opportunity to communicate remotely.
Before making their choice, they performed three tests over the course of the last season:
• the Airbus Pro A Tournament (29th and 30th of August 2014 in Toulouse): a tournament involving four of the best French men’s basketball teams,
• the Pro A Nanterre-Limoges match (the 23rd of September 2014 in Rouen),
• the Leaders’ Cup (from the 20th to the 22nd of February 2015 at Disneyland Paris); a Champions’ Match which brought together the 8 best teams in the Pro A league.
These three trials gave the referees and observers enough proof to convince them of the advantages of the Vokkero® Squadra:
• Improved speed, efficiency and response time: the system helps control the game and the time, monitoring the 24 second clock and enabling situations to be resolved remotely which, before introduction of the technology, necessitated a stop in play and gathering of the personnel.
• The constitution of real “Team-Work” during matches: the system helps strengthen the links between referees and increases trust in terms of decision-making – which is now shared – and the referees’ credibility with the players.
• Optimised player management: the system enables referees to keep track of the fouls or warnings for the players, and also helps in terms of substitutions.
In total, 36 clubs in the PRO A and PRO B leagues are now fitted with the Vokkero® Squadra system. Other European basketball federations and Euroleague, which has already performed two tests over the 2014 and 2015 season, are now interested in the Vokkero® Squadra system…