Bellarine clubs see need for local facilities

TWO Bellarine towns are feeling the squeeze from a lack of sporting facilities.

Ocean Grove Breakers Basketball Club president Tim Semple says his club’s junior memberships are increasing exponentially.

The Breakers currently hold 46 teams and have 370 players registered for the winter domestic season at the Bellarine Peninsula Basketball Association (BPBA), making use of local facilities, such as Bellarine Sports & Aquatic Centre, for training and games a difficult task.

“We almost have to step on top of each other to get some training in, there is obviously an overflow,” Semple said.

“There are individual teams, dozens in Ocean Grove at other clubs, that are shut out of local courts like the two at Bellarine Sports & Aquatic Centre.

“Other sports like netball and volleyball are also facing the same issues, particularly with schools getting first-preference between the hours of 9am and 3.30pm.”

Barwon Heads Seagulls Basketball Club committee member Dion Milne says there are currently 48 junior and three senior Seagulls sides active across the Barwon Heads Bridge, playing in Bellarine Peninsula Basketball Association and Geelong United Basketball competitions.

“I recently looked into the popularity of basketball, specifically at Barwon Heads Primary, and 40 per cent of students played basketball,” Milne said.

“If there aren’t any changes to the way basketball is structured in the region, we’re afraid that more and more local kids are going to miss out.”

Milne says the club uses Barwon Heads Primary School as its main training facility on a fully packed schedule.

Semple says there is currently a roadmap from a regional perspective with the construction of a new three-court basketball stadium in Drysdale, a BPBA-led initiative, to provide some scheduling relief, which both clubs entirely support.

However, no such plans exist for a new facility closer to home.

“In terms of Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, there is no roadmap and there is no feasibility study in the works,” Semple said.

“While we fully support the new facility going up in Drysdale, our kids can’t ride to Drysdale on their bikes to play on a Sunday afternoon or hang around after school to shoot some hoops.”

Semple said the club has already begun talks with State Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant.