A three-time NSW Referee of the year, Paul Beale, has been a wonderful ambassador for the sport of basketball for more thanfive decades.
Paul seemed to know what he wanted to be early in life, officiating his first State Final in a Primary School in 1968 at just 13 years of age. At 16, he became the youngest official to ever be awarded an A- grade badge and then quickly climbed the ranks, officiating at numerous Australian Junior Championships:
- U16 Men in 1977, 1978 and 1979
- U18 Men in 1980 and 1981
- U20 Men in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985
His command of the whistle led to several international assignments including:
- USA Tour 1974
- Fijian Open Championships 1978
- Merloin Cup Singapore 1985
- World University Games in Japan 1985
- FIBA Oceania Championships in 1985
- World University Games in Yugoslavia 1987
Paul maintained a FIBA Referees badge for 10 years and is now an honorary life member.
At the elite national level he officiated 187 NBL games over 12 years, including two finals series in 1985 and 1987.
He was also voted the NSW Referee of the Year in 1985, 1987 and 1988.
He also officiated in the CBA and WNBL and became a life member of Basketball NSW in 2007.