Toni Caldwell

After playing basketball for several years, teenager Toni Caldwell commenced her refereeing career in Ipswich. Navigating her way through local competitions in Ipswich and Brisbane, state championship refereeing led Toni to national championships and beyond.

The national championships that Toni refereed were the 2003 Ivor Burge Championships, the 2004 Under 16 Championships and the 2006 and 2007 Under 20 Championships.

Toni refereed in the Queensland Basketball League for more than 18 years during which time she was appointed to more than 12 finals series. She refereed the QBL men’s grand final in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012, and the women’s grand final in 2003, 2005 and 2006. In 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2015 she was identified as QBL Referee of the Year.

She was appointed to the National Basketball League in 2007 and continued refereeing in the league for 13 years, refereeing 157 NBL games. For 10 of these 13 years, Toni was the only female referee in the NBL.

In 2008, Toni was appointed as a referee in the Women’s National Basketball League and continued refereeing in the WNBL until 2018 having refereed 73 games which included the finals series in 2009, 2012 and 2014, and the 2012 grand final.

Toni’s first international refereeing appointment was the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney in January 2009 at which she refereed the Gold Medal game, Australia v China.

Following her being appointed as a FIBA Referee in 2009, Toni was appointed to several junior international tournaments, includingthe 2010 FIBA Under 17 Oceania Men’s and Women’s World Championships qualifiers; the 2010 FIBA Under 17 Women’s World Championships in France; the 2012 FIBA Under 17 Women’s World Championships in The Netherlands and the 2018 FIBA Under 18 Men’s Asian Championships in Thailand.

Having previously refereed the four nations pre-tournament in Paris, the highlight of Toni’s refereeing international career may have been her appointment to the 2014 FIBA Women’s World Championships in Türkiye where she refereed the 5v6 playoff game.

In addition to this FIBA World Championship and its pre-tournament, Toni also refereed several international games in tournaments in Oceania including World Championship and Olympic qualifier games: The 2013 FIBA Oceania Women’s Championships Finals, in Auckland and Canberra and the 2015 Women’s Olympic Qualifiers Series, Australia v New Zealand in Tauranga, New Zealand.

In 2013, she also refereed the 27th Summer Universiade in Russia where she refereed the women’s gold medal game, USA v Russia.

Toni’s contribution to basketball as a referee educator has been exceptional. She brings to the task a rare depth of knowledge and insight into the game and into the intent of teams and players that can only be gained from participating on the court with them at the highest levels.

Toni’s exceptional service to basketball as an international referee was coupled with her exceptional refereeing service to Queensland and Australian leagues and competitions, and with her role as referee mentor and referee educator. Toni Caldwell is a most worthy inductee to the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025.