The 2025 Annual General Meeting of New South Wales Basketball Association Limited (Basketball NSW) was held on Saturday, 23 May 2026.
Chair’s Address
Board Chair Lisa Yen opened proceedings by reflecting on a year defined by momentum — across grassroots participation, elite performance, and the launch of a new strategic direction for the sport. She paid tribute to the volunteers, coaches, referees, officials, and association staff who form the foundation of basketball in NSW, and acknowledged the enduring contribution of Basketball NSW’s Life Members. Special recognition was extended to Lauretta Claus AM, appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2025, Trish Nicholls awarded a Medal of Order of Australia, and to John Martin, elevated to Legend Status within the Basketball NSW Hall of Fame.
Lisa acknowledged the conclusion of a significant chapter for the organisation with the departure of Chief Executive Officer Maria Nordstrom after nine years of transformative leadership. She thanked David Simpson for his steady and professional stewardship as Interim CEO, and confirmed that the CEO Nominations Committee, chaired by Lauretta Claus is progressing a thorough and transparent appointment process.
The Chair also noted the appointment of Joydeep Hor as an Appointed Director in October 2025, bringing deep expertise in workplace culture, governance and leadership, and welcomed Zoheb Razvi, who joined Basketball NSW as Company Secretary earlier this year.
Retirement from the Board
Anton Brown retired from the Board at the conclusion of the AGM, having served with distinction as Deputy Chair, and Chair of the Risk Committee and the Facilities Infrastructure Group. The Board acknowledged Anton’s significant contribution to Basketball NSW’s governance and expressed its sincere gratitude for his dedication to the sport.
Election of Directors
Members elected two new Directors to the Basketball NSW Board:
Matthew Beattie brings 25 years of senior leadership experience across financial services, membership organisations, and the mobility sector. As CEO of SIXT Australia (NRMA Group), he leads 800 employees across 140 locations generating $350 million in annual revenue, with a strong track record in digital transformation and commercial growth. Matthew holds an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School, is a Member of the AICD, and was inducted into the Basketball NSW Hall of Fame at this year’s Dinner. A FIBA-accredited referee with three decades of experience across local, state, national, and international competitions, Matthew brings both boardroom capability and a genuine love for the game.
Natalie Peters is a senior communications leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning journalism, media leadership, and government. She currently serves as Director of Media and Communications for a senior NSW Minister and was recently appointed Media Liaison Officer for the Australian Winter Olympic Team at Milano Cortina 2026. Her background includes more than 15 years in the media industry, including as Sydney News Director for Nine Radio, and she brings deep expertise in stakeholder engagement and complex policy environments.
Strategic and Operational Highlights
The Chair’s address highlighted a strong year of performance across all facets of the organisation. Basketball NSW recorded 89,441 registered participants in 2025 and reached 54,839 students across 400 schools through the Sporting Schools program — cementing basketball as the number one team sport in NSW. The I Am A Girl initiative exceeded its targets significantly, reaching 3,341 participants through 130 clinics statewide, and Basketball NSW received its second consecutive Sport NSW Inclusion Achievement Award.
On the court, the U20 Women’s Team claimed gold in the State of Origin game against Queensland, with Ruby Perkins named Most Valuable Player, while the U16 Metro Girls, U18 Metro Boys, and wheelchair teams also performed with distinction at national level.
The 2026–2028 Strategic Plan — launched at the State Conference in November 2025 — sets an ambitious course across participation growth, inclusion, digital modernisation, and facilities advocacy. Basketball NSW’s Infrastructure and Facilities Plan identifies a need for more than 330 additional indoor courts across NSW over the next decade, with the $1.85 million redevelopment of Bathurst Indoor Sports Stadium cited as a model for government and community partnership.
The previous 2022–2025 Strategic Plan concluded with 74% of initiatives fully delivered and a further 20% commenced and ongoing.
The Basketball NSW 2025 Annual Report is available online.
Post the AGM Mark Wilks submitted his resignation from the Board for personal reasons. Mark has served with distinction over a period of 4 years including as member of the Risk Committee and Director of Sport Stadium Management.
Joydeep Hor’s tenure as an Appointed Director on the Board also concluded post the AGM and with the two new Directors bringing diverse skill sets and experiences; the Board will seek to use the vacant Appointed Director position to address skills gaps in other areas of need.