Basketball NSW received some very exciting news last month from the Office of Regional Youth, with the announcement that a new regional youth basketball league that was established in 2022 for the Northern Inland region of NSW, will be fully funded by a grant in 2023.
The very first Northern Inland Basketball League (NIBL) kicked off in September 2022 and was created after 18 months of community consultation within the local area. The aim was to provide more opportunities for locals to participate in basketball, not only as a player but also as a coach or referee.
New England has over 2,000 players across eight associations, with many children and teenagers looking for more local opportunities to participate. This was an opportunity that Basketball NSW seeked to ratify. Working together with local associations, a local framework was developed, focusing on providing local opportunities for kids to build skills and play while keeping costs low and affordable.
There are several tiers to the ‘Northern Inland Basketball League’ (NIBL) program ranging from Come & Try days, Mega Gala Days, Coaching Clinics, Referee Courses and three rounds of a round-robin type style of tournament. Following the local gala days, the Mega Gala Day ran on the 15th of October 2022 at Tamworth Sports Dome and hosted 174 eager young basketball players from all over the New England region. Players and parents were also given the opportunity to attend a free coaches clinic and a free introductory referee course.
Following the gala days, participants were then placed into teams ranging from U11’s-U17 age groups and were rostered to play in a regional round-robin competition in two locations, one in the north and one in the south. The main focus of the competition was participation and fun.
Basketball NSW, CEO, Maria Nordstrom said she was ecstatic to help further grow the game in the New England and praised the local communities for their initiative and passion in creating more safe places to play for beginners to more experienced players.
“Junior basketball has grown substantially over the past decade, especially in the New England region, however, we know that many children are still missing out on playing as the North Eastern Junior League includes a lot of travel and overnight stays. The purpose of the new framework is to create more localised opportunities for children to play basketball but still playing against kids from other towns in the region” said Nordstrom.
“The creation of the Northern Inland Basketball League has been welcomed by the local community and young ballers. The key priorities for the framework is to keep costs low and minimise travel. This development framework opens up a new pathway to the game and opportunities for future representative competitions if that is the path the children and their parents are looking to pursue. This is exciting news for the region, as it will give all children in the region an opportunity to get involved.”
Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said the NSW Government were continuing to support basketball in the region by providing the facilities and support the game needs to grow. “Basketball continues to grow in popularity, particularly among our young people who are taking advantage of the world-class facilities we built over the past few years, including the world-class Tamworth Sports Dome,” said Anderson.
“This funding will allow Basketball NSW to further grow the sport in consultation with local basketball organizations and I am confident that under this structure, aspiring NBL/WNBL players will be given every opportunity for success.”
Glen Innes Basketball Association, President, Donna McClelland praised the idea of the holistic approach to NIBL, with a key focus on growing the game at all levels including referee and coach development.
“The Northern Inland Basketball League has been a very important and long term goal in our region in terms of growing basketball. This program introduces regional kids to the representative scene and also grows the ranks within individual associations of players, coaches, referee’s and scorers,” said Donna McClelland
“Through this program we are ensuring the longevity of the smaller associations and giving them a new avenue to grow sport in their own towns. It is a great way to get involved, have fun and be a part of a great sport without the costs or large travel. It was very well received in 2022, and I know a lot of people are very excited to see it grow, develop and improve in future years.”
“The kids loved it, some of them who have never picked up a basketball before are buzzing about being a baller! The aim this year will be to take it to the next level and learn from the lessons of our inaugural year”
Gunnedah Basketball Association, Vice President & Secretary, Jody King also added that the introduction of the NIBL has increased their reach within the community and assisted in the community gaining more exposure and developing their skill sets.
“We’re a growing club in the New England and the NIBL has really helped drive participation for kids that haven’t played basketball before within our communities,” said King.
“It has helped our kids get active and out socialising, to learn life long skills. The program has also assisted parents, families and volunteers to feel more comfortable coaching and reffing and being involved. I can’t wait to see NIBL continue and grow in the future, to ensure basketball has a sustainable future and is available to everyone in our region”.
Tim Lloyd (a parent from Guyra) also added;
“NIBL has allowed kids from smaller towns to participate at a higher and more competitive level. We are not able to access the junior rep leagues because we don’t have enough willing players and/or don’t have the qualified refs or coaches to be able to enter.”
“The NIBL gives us an ability to still play against other towns. It also brings us into regular contact with the Basketball NSW support structure which develops not only the kids but helps the parents develop coaching/reffing/scoring skills. Basketball in New England is growing and NIBL will allow further growth in numbers and the standard of coaching for the kids. I have been involved in the game in multiple ways for 30+ years and this has been one of the better initiatives that I have been involved with.”
“It is much appreciated and I would love to see it continue into 2023 and beyond”.
Basketball NSW would like to thank the working group from the associations in New England, iAthletic for believing in the vision to kick us off in 2022 and the parents and ballers who engaged in the league in its inaugural year. We also want to thank the NSW Government and The Office for Regional Youth with Kevin Anderson MP and Minister Ben Franklin for believing in our vision which will enable us to fully engage the New England community and embed NIBL for all the young ballers in the region.
In 2023 NIBL will be back with dates yet to be determined, please keep an eye on our website for more information over the coming months. You can find out more about the philosophy behind the creation here.
