Domestic Basketball Update (11/5/20)

The next review date for domestic competition basketball will be Sunday 31 May in line with the Victorian Government’s extension to the State of Emergency as of Monday 11 May.

In the meantime, we encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to be active through basketball outside in a safe and respectful manner under strict compliance with the governments new restrictions.

For more details on the latest government restriction updates – including specific sport and recreation activities, please visit the Victorian Government’s Coronavirus update.

Leagues Update (11/5/2020)

Following the Victorian Governments announcement on the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria, Basketball Victoria (BV) provides the following update on Leagues managed by BV.

BV remains committed to the safe and viable return to sport for all participants, domestic and elite.  Our primary objective remains the return of grass-roots basketball and domestic competitions.

While we anticipate the resumption of the VJBL will be similar to that of domestic basketball, our senior elite leagues (Big V, NBL1 and CBL) will be evaluated once the sport has a confirmed resumption date. The delayed start may mean the need for senior elite leagues to run much later into the year than normal, we are considering all options and formats for senior elite leagues in 2020.

We will continue to provide regular updates when we are informed of the next steps in the return to sport.

2020 National Junior Classic cancelled (11/5/2020)

Due to the uncertainty of interstate travel and the staged lifting of restrictions for a return to indoor sport, Basketball Victoria and the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) have cancelled the 2020 National Junior Classic.

With the 128-team tournament, featuring participants from the VJBL VC Divisions, Country Championships winners and interstate teams, due to take place over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend (6-8 June 2020), Basketball Victoria looked at various options and future dates but have made the difficult decision to cancel the event and look forward to planning a greater event in 2021.

“We don’t take this decision lightly and have waited as long as possible to make a decision surrounding the National Junior Classic,” VJBL General Manager John Hilton said. “Seeing the best of Victorian and Australian club talent come to Melbourne each June for the National Junior Classic is a highlight on the calendar and one we will unfortunately not get to showcase in 2020.

“With interstate travel requirements preventing most travel between states, it would preclude the ability of our interstate teams to participate.

“This coupled with the current conditions surrounding the return to indoor sports, it is logistically impossible to host the National Junior Classic to a sufficient standard this year. We look forward to seeing this event return in 2021 as well as seeing the VJBL return as soon as possible to complete the 2020 Championship season.”

Country Champs, U14 Skills Days and Regional Academy. 

We are hoping to reschedule these tournaments, events and programs when possible, at this stage they are postponed until May 31, 2020.

Aussie Hoops, 3×3, Walking Basketball and NWBL

In addition to Term Two Aussie Hoops programs being cancelled, Basketball Australia recommends all Term Three Aussie Hoops programs be suspended until further notice. 

Basketball Australia will not be accepting or processing Term Three registrations or participant pack orders.

All participants who have registered for a Term Two Aussie Hoops program will be entitled to a full refund as per the Aussie Hoops Refund Policy. 

Additionally, the following programs below are postponed until further notice:

• Walking Basketball
• 3X3 Community Hustle
• National Wheelchair Basketball Leagues (Men’s & Women’s).

Australian Junior Championships

Basketball Australia has determined that the Under 16 Australian JuniorChampionships, scheduled to be held in Perth in July, will no longer be proceeding. 

At this stage they are investigating the option of moving these championships to a different window, however this has not yet been confirmed.

We strongly recommend coaches cease training their respective teams for the Australian Junior Championship effective immediately.

We advise all teams, their families and supporters to proceed with cancelling existing travel arrangements and take advantage of credit being offered by providers. 

Return to Sport Guidelines (as of 02/05/20)

You may have seen the Federal Government announcement Friday evening (01/05/20) in regard to the planning for a staged return to community sport.

Included in the National Cabinet update was:

• An agreement to bring forward the review of the first phase of removing baseline restrictions on Friday, 8 May 2020.
• The consideration and endorsement of the ‘National Principles for the Resumption of Sport and Recreation Activities’.
• A ‘Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19 Environment’ was also developed by the AIS.

Please note: States and Territories are responsible for sport and recreation resumption decisions, both at the professional and community level and will determine progression through the phases, taking account of local epidemiology, risk mitigation strategies and public health capability.

Return to Sport Guidelines

We have developed Return to Sport Guidelines for basketball in Victoria that consider the AIS Framework for Rebooting Sport; and acknowledges the Federal Governments principles for the resumption of sport and recreation.  The document refers to risk management strategies to enable a return to basketball at various levels of restriction including, the flow of traffic in and out of venues, time restrictions, compulsory cleaning, sanitisation and restrictions on players, officials and parents per court.

Basketball Victoria strongly believes that indoor sport should be reactivated at the same time as outdoor sports, and has proactively developed these detailed guidelines to demonstrate to government that our sport has the ability to provide a safe and controlled environment for the return to participation. However, we need to acknowledge that these guidelines are still in draft form, and will ultimately be guided by the directions from the Victorian Government. Basketball Victoria is providing members these draft guidelines now, to inform you how we envisage the sport may be reactivated and the types of steps that we may all need to take to ensure that we return in a safe and sustainably healthy manner.

We wish to emphasise that these are not for implementing at this stage. We will communicate to all members as soon as we have further details from the Victorian Government on how community sport can be activated and we will amend our draft guidelines as necessary to ensure that our members have the most up to date and accurate guidelines for reactivation.

It is highly likely that there will be a gradual return to sport, with systematic staged lifting of restrictions only when the state government has a level of confidence to do so. This will mean that we will need to show flexibility in how we operate, understanding that this is a different time for sport, and patience for everyone involved in all areas trying to make this work. We will need to ensure that we comply with guidelines, and not take actions that can risk the restrictions being lifted. The basketball community has shown great strength and understanding during this unprecedented time for our sport, and we’re confident this will continue through the recovery that lies ahead.

Note: The guidelines do not cover the actions for associations to take if there is a new or positive case of COVID-19, we have been advised that government is working on a set of guidelines for the business community which will be adapted for sports, but will need to be adopted regardless.

Should any members have any questions arising from these draft guidelines we encourage you to contact either Dean Anglin, Mark Hubbard or David Huxtable at Basketball Victoria.

As new information is made available, we will provide further updates in the following few days.

In addition, we will be helping you all in the coming months to stay active, engaged and connected. Skills are taught on court, but perfected at home.

Remember: Champions are made when no one is watching #HoopsAtHome

For more information about COVID-19 and ways to keep yourself and your family protected please visit https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus