Bellarine commences winter competitions

BASKETBALL is back on the Bellarine following the long-awaited commencement of the winter season in Drysdale as thousands of players return to the court.

The Bellarine Peninsula Basketball Association (BPBA) welcomed back its domestic and representative sides for the middle portion of the 2022 calendar as 250 registered teams prepare for four months of basketball.

BPBA committee member Mark Brunger said the BPBA was looking forward to getting the winter season back underway, given the stop-start nature of the previous two years.

“It’s just great to hear noise back in the stadium again,” Brunger said.

“I’ll go in on any afternoon now and a junior competition is on where kids are just having fun and the gym is full.
“There’s a good amount of energy at the association at the moment and it’s fantastic.”

Brunger said there were 1,400 junior and 350 senior domestic players registered for the winter season, forming 204 junior sides and 50 senior sides.

The BPBA is also enjoying considerable success with its Bellarine Storm VJBL program.

A total of 176 junior players make up 20 Bellarine Storm squads and 50 senior players make up four senior sides competing in the statewide Big V and Youth League competitions.

The introduction of senior social leagues has been a massive addition to the domestic structure as well as bringing aboard ‘Wildcats’ as the association’s newest club.

“The women’s social league that we are getting up and running is looking like it will be a daytime competition, but the majority of our other domestic comps are run at night,” Brunger concluded.

Winter competitions will wrap up in September.

Head to www.bpba.org.au to keep up-to-date with the BPCA’s competitions and teams.