Basketball Ballarat News for Members, Families and Clubs
Dear member,
I hope that you and your families are managing as the impacts of COVID-19 deepen and enforce further restrictions on us all.
We made the decision to delay contacting members and clubs until this week as we felt everyone had enough on their plate in the last fortnight as you adjust to the new environment we find ourselves in.
We will send a fortnightly update on what is happening here at the Minerdome and at Ballarat Sports Events Centre to keep you all informed on our planning for the future. Some weeks they may be little to report so it will just be a note to help keep us connected.
Please make sure that you reach out if there is anything that I can help with or that you need advice on. All staff are on leave or stood down at present so please use my email only for any matters you need to follow-up – peter.eddy@ballaratbasketball.com
Our Board of Directors met twice in the last week to help me plan for managing our operations during this total closedown of operations and to ensure we stabilise our business and to reduce our operating costs to an absolute minimum. Much of the past week has been spent negotiating with contractors and suppliers who we have ongoing cost commitments with to seek to have these costs reviewed and where possible waived or reduced. I have to say that nearly all that have responded to date are working with us to ensure a fair outcome for all and to help us remain viable and ready to resume operations as soon as we are able to do so.
We have also been working hard to follow-up and ensure payment for all monies owed to Basketball Ballarat prior to our closedown of programs and services on Friday March 20th.
Our early decision to suspend our NBL1 Miners-Rush operations and costs for 2020 was made to ensure that our focus when we resume competitions and programs will be very much on our grass roots membership. We will build from the base up to ensure that our core reason for being in existence is preserved and can re-grow as quickly as possible.
Over the upcoming weeks and months, we will be prioritising working extremely closely with our local member clubs, players, officials and families to ensure that we re-establish the sport of basketball within our community from the grass roots level up.
Work to re-establish our elite programs will come after the local programs and competitions are back in place. It will be important that we resume our full pathway for all athletes, coaches and officials as soon as is practical.
We are already planning for how best to provide the best possible grassroots program for the thousands of junior and senior local players, officials and their families who rely on us to provide the sport that we all love. Next week we will begin to offer a number of initiatives for local members and families to access that will help keep you involved. Rather than bombard you with all offers available you will be able to register for those areas you are interested in then only receive this information.
Please go to https://www.ballaratbasketball.com/home-stay-program/ to register your interest.
As an organisation with a rich heritage spanning generations, Basketball Ballarat has faced many challenges before and working together, supporting our members, families, clubs and our sponsors, we will work hard to remain viable and look forward to getting current and future generations of participants back on court as soon as it is safe to do so.
Some key decisions made by the Board and CEO to date:
Current Season Abandoned
The season that was into the finals stage in March when we were forced to close our operations has been abandoned and no winners will be declared for this season.
This will allow everyone to start back on day one when we can re-open and to plan a season of substance from reopening to either the end of our traditional Championship season or to later in the year to provide a full playing season. The decision on season timing will be made once we know when it is likely to be that we can reopen. The pennants and trophies prepared for the abandoned seasoned will be awarded at the end of the new season.
June Tournament
This has been cancelled for 2020.
Thank you to the many members who have reached out to offer support and reassurance in recent week.
Ball Sizes
Saints Basketball had a request form families on ball sizes – this may help you members as well
U8/10’s boys and girls use size 5’s
U12/senior Women use size 6
U12/14 Boys use size 6
U16/senior Men use size 7
Take Care
Peter Eddy