There are major differences between Umpires and Referees in any sport is their tasks and responsibility they performed during a game. And badminton is the perfect sport to mark the distinguishing factor. Badminton is one of the few sports to have both umpires and referees in a match. But there is a huge pay gap between the badminton referees salaries and other sports.
Weren’t aware of that right? Are you aware of how much does Badminton World Federation (BWF) pays to its officials? What are the salaries of referees and umpires earned in 2024?
Badminton Referees Salaries 2024
You would be surprised to know that badminton is among one of the least paying sports to its officials. The referees in Badminton earn 1/3rd of NFL referees.
| Level | Per match fees | Tournament fees | Annual earning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional referees | $500 | $750 – $1,500 | $35,000 |
| Entry-level referees | $100 | N.A | $5,000 |
BWF appoints referees on the basis of their categorisation, that is they have 2 levels of referees. Professional referees and Entry-level referees. Professional referees are the ones with an experience of 5-6 years and entry-level referees don’t require any experience.
Badminton Draws a lot of similarities with Tennis, and rightly so. The layout of badminton is very much similar to tennis just the way of playing the sport is different. Badminton’s one big similarity with tennis is that their allocations of referees are so similar.
Badminton comprises Referee, Umpire, Line Judge, Service Judge, and IRS Umpire. There are so many officials looking after the rules and fair conduct of the match.
However, one huge difference between Tennis and Badminton is the disparity in wages. A Tennis match official earns ($1,600) per match which is way more than a Badminton referee’s wage of ($500) per match.
Salary of Badminton Umpires 2024
The salary for the umpires involved in Badminton match.
| Country | Professional Referee fees | Umpire fees | Line Judge fees | Service Judge fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | $500 | $500 | $250 | $250 |
| Malaysia | $500 | $500 | $250 | $250 |
| China | $500 | $500 | $250 | $250 |
| India | $500 | $500 | $250 | $250 |
| Denmark | $500 | $500 | $250 | $250 |
| Spain | $500 | $500 | $250 | $250 |
What’s interesting and surprising to note is that badminton is most dominant in Asian countries especially China. However, the pay gap for the referees and umpires is the same in each country.
While if the referees are selected for the Olympics then their salary gets increased from $500 to $2000.
Match Officials Roles: Difference between Umpire and Referee.
As I mentioned earlier that there is more than one official officiating in a match of badminton, but what are the roles of these officials?
| Match Offical | Roles |
|---|---|
| Referee | The referee is in charge of the whole tournament. They ensure players have practicing facilities, practicing schedule, transport, and medical safety of the players. |
| Umpire | The umpires have authority over a specific badminton match. He is in the charge of the court. They are the ones sitting on the chair looking after the game. |
| Line Judge | A line judge is the one who called for the fouls that made during the game. |
| Service Judge | Service judge look’s that player follow all rules and regulations regarding service during the game |
| IRS referee | They are the 3rd umpire who overlook the instant challenge made by players. thus deriving its name Instant Review System referee. |
Thus, the major difference between a referee and an umpire is that the referee looks after the off-court activities and the umpire look after the on the court activities. While umpires fall under the category of referees if umpires feel there is misconduct on the court they have to report it to the referee.
Disclaimer: The above figures about the badminton umpires and referees salary are based on the analysis, research and reports released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).