Another youth basketball fixture in Calabria was postponed due to a severe shortage of match officials, prompting a regional warning from local clubs, LameziaInforma reported.
La Cestistica Lamezia 2.018 issued a public statement condemning the ongoing disruptions after the latest youth match cancellation. The club pointed to severe organizational flaws within regional basketball administration and a chronic lack of referees managed by FIP Calabria.
“Dopo la vergognosa gestione del campionato Under 15 della scorsa stagione, conclusosi addirittura a gennaio, pensavamo sinceramente che si fosse toccato il fondo. E invece no,” the club said.
The latest postponement follows earlier disruptions in the regional youth calendar. FIP Calabria has struggled with referee shortages that have forced multiple fixture changes across the division.
La Cestistica Lamezia highlighted a stark disparity between referee recruitment efforts and active retention figures across the region. In a three-year span, the club helped train more than 60 prospective referees.
“Sapete quanti, ad oggi, hanno rinnovato la tessera? Esattamente uno! Sessanta persone formate e soltanto una rimasta attiva con il rinnovo del tesseramento,” the club said.
The association argued that hosting introductory courses without a follow-up support structure fails to solve the broader staffing deficit. Without ongoing mentoring, recruitment campaigns yield few long-term officials for regional fixtures.
“Non basta organizzare un corso, formare dei ragazzi e poi considerarli un numero da aggiungere alle statistiche,” the club added, according to LameziaInforma.
Participating clubs bear substantial financial costs to sustain their youth programs throughout the season. Families make personal sacrifices while coaches and directors invest time and resources into team operations.
“Le società pagano iscrizioni, tasse federali, rate FIP, tesseramenti, trasferte e tutto ciò che serve per tenere in piedi un’attività sportiva,” the club said.
The organization questioned the return on investment for participating teams when basic scheduling reliability is missing. Persistent match postponements leave young athletes with severely reduced playing time over the course of a competitive season.
“Ragazzi che hanno alle spalle quattro stagioni di settore giovanile e che, tra campionati interrotti, calendari ridotti, rinvii e disorganizzazione, si ritrovano ad avere a malapena un anno effettivo di formazione e attività agonistica,” the club said.
La Cestistica Lamezia called on other regional clubs to open discussions regarding alternative solutions for youth competition management. The appeal urges stakeholders to examine structural changes inside or outside the existing federation framework.
“Apriamo un confronto serio. Sediamoci intorno a un tavolo. Cerchiamo insieme una soluzione, dentro o fuori dalla FIP,” the club said.
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