800th Game “Humbling” for Aylen

Legendary NBL referee Michael Aylen will celebrate his 800th game this weekend, adding another milestone to a glowing 24-year career.

Aylen made his NBL debut in 1996 and has gone on to become one of the best and most respected officials in the competition.

He has won an incredible 10 Referee of the Year awards during his career, while also officiating 64 NBL Grand Final games.

Aylen will make his 800th appearance on Saturday night when Melbourne United host the Tasmania JackJumpers at John Cain Arena.

“I guess you keep a tally of games as you go along so I was sort of aware where or when it would roughly fall pre-season. But when you sit back and have a think about it, there’s only been three others before me,” Aylen said.

“Ray Hunt, Bill Mildenhall, Eddie Crouch, to be in their company is kind of humbling. Also shows probably a little bit of dedication and stubbornness to hang around for so long.

“It’s something you look at with pride and it’s a very humbling experience.”

Aylen revealed he almost never came close to 800, saying he seriously considered ending his career after the 2008 Olympics.

“After the 2008 Olympics, I was close to pulling the pin, I was mentally exhausted. To continue to go and then get to where I am now has been a significant journey that I never expected would occur,” Aylen said.

Aylen’s contributions extend off the court too, as during the off seasons he runs the Elite Referee Program (ERP), which aims to help educate development referees to help them get to the elite level.

He called the results of the ERP “fantastic” and “satisfying”, and something he is extremely proud of.

“The good thing about the off season is we run the ERP, the elite referee program that I manage, and we’ve had 16 people graduate out of that program which is really satisfying. Of the six core staff referees, four of them have come out of the ERP,” he said.

As for how long he has left, Aylen explained how it will come down to managing time with his young family and fitness levels.

“I’ve been very fortunate that I haven’t suffered huge injuries along the way,” he said.

“I’m the fittest I have been in four-to-five years. I'm probably running better than I ever have.

“I’ve got two young kids and it is becoming more difficult to juggle the time but at the moment we are doing well enough. As long as the body holds on, probably four (more years) at the most.”

Aylen will referee his 800th game in the NBL on Saturday night in United’s matchup against the JackJumpers at 8pm AEDT.