A German technology company Riedel Communications has brought its RefCam camera system into German basketball for the first time as part of a new research project. The project aims to help basketball referees improve how they watch and make decisions during games.
The research work took place in late December 2025 at a game in the 2. Basketball Bundesliga. The teams playing were the EPG Baskets Koblenz and the Bozic Estriche Knights Kirchheim. Riedel’s RefCam technology was used to record the match from the referee’s point of view.
RefCam is a very small head-mounted camera that referees wear on their heads. It records video from the referee’s direct view on the court. This camera gives a first-person view of game and court, which can be useful for training, review, and decision-making.
The research project is a joint effort between Riedel, the German Basketball Federation (DBB), and the German Sport University Cologne (DSHS). These groups are working together to learn how technology can help referees clearly understand close moments, position themselves during plays, and review what happened in fast parts of the game.
At the Koblenz game, three RefCam units were used to record the action. The video was stored locally, meaning it was recorded on the spot rather than sent to a live broadcast. This allowed researchers to study the referee views in detail.
RefCam was originally designed for sports broadcast and review systems. It gives a stable, clear picture from the referee’s viewpoint. This system has been tested in other sports, including soccer and other handball games, and now basketball is adding to that list.
The camera’s design is compact and lightweight, so it does not block the referee’s view. It can record important moments that traditional cameras may miss, especially close calls or plays where the referee has a clearer view than side-view cameras.
Organizers of the research project hope that using RefCam will help to improve referee training and performance. The video could be used in official reviews, training sessions, and referee learning. By seeing plays from their own angle, referees and coaches can better understand where decisions went right or wrong and how to prepare for future games.
Basketball refereeing can be difficult, especially in fast games where players move quickly and close actions happen a lot and are difficult to judge. Many times, referees have to make quick decisions about fouls, violations, and ball positions. The RefCam system helps a lot in that type of situation to make an accurate decisions.
Riedel Communications is known for sports broadcast technology. The company’s RefCam and related tools have been used in other major sports events, including soccer matches in the Bundesliga and handball competitions. The technology is designed to work with 5G networks and modern broadcast setups.
Researchers say they will analyze the RefCam footage and feedback from referees to understand how the technology can be used in real games. If results are positive, this kind of camera technology may become more common in sports training and review systems.
Officials in the DBB and at the sport university say that inventions like RefCam can help the game grow by making referee work more accurate and fair. They also note that the research project may lead to new ways of combining camera technology and referee skills in basketball.
The research initiative in German basketball is one of the first to test this type of technology in a league game. By looking at how the use of RefCam can help to improve train sports referees in the future.