TWO Bellarine towns are feeling the squeeze from a lack of sporting facilities.<\/p>\n
Ocean Grove Breakers Basketball Club president Tim Semple says his club\u2019s junior memberships are increasing exponentially.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe almost have to step on top of each other to get some training in, there is obviously an overflow,\u201d Semple said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recently looked into the popularity of basketball, specifically at Barwon Heads Primary, and 40 per cent of students played basketball,\u201d Milne said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there aren\u2019t any changes to the way basketball is structured in the region, we\u2019re afraid that more and more local kids are going to miss out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Milne says the club uses Barwon Heads Primary School as its main training facility on a fully packed schedule.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
However, no such plans exist for a new facility closer to home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, there is no roadmap and there is no feasibility study in the works,\u201d Semple said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we fully support the new facility going up in Drysdale, our kids can\u2019t ride to Drysdale on their bikes to play on a Sunday afternoon or hang around after school to shoot some hoops.\u201d<\/p>\n
Semple said the club has already begun talks with State Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TWO Bellarine towns are feeling the squeeze from a lack of sporting facilities. Ocean Grove Breakers Basketball Club president Tim Semple says his club\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n