03/10/2018
Oceania
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Mini Basketball laying the foundation for basketball in the Pacific region

ECHUCA - Over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd of September the Victorian town of Echuca hosted a Mini Basketball Event, that was organized by FIBA Oceania in collaboration with Basketball Victoria.

The game of basketball is an important learning environment for younger generations. It develops character as well as promoting social relationships that can also establish social acceptance.

It was the second Mini Basketball event supported by the International Basketball Foundation (IBF) but will not be the last with further events being replicated around the globe including in Mexico, Sri Lanka, and Morocco IN the next six months.

FIBA Oceania Development Manager Annie La Fleur is a vocal advocate for the need to grow from the grassroots and the importance of getting children excited about the game and hopefully see new generations of lifelong participants. She spoke with great praise for the event.

“I feel the event went really well bringing in a number of participants from Oceania and South East Asia and the various state bodies around Australia. It really shows the power of sports and how kids can make friends and have fun with our game,” she said.

With the aim to further develop and nurture grassroots basketball the program featured a Jamboree and a convention of delegates - giving members the opportunity to discuss hoops activities. This discussion roundtable saw over 60 participants as international delegates from countries all over the Asia-Pacific region.

As a recent Australian government report on “participation data for the sports sector” 88 percent of kids aged in the 15 to 17 age bracket participated in a team or club sport. This highlights the critical role of sport and physical activity programs for children.

Basketball continues to develop at a rapid pace in Australia and their grassroots program is being replicated internationally.

The Jamboree featured more than 240 boys and girls from across Victoria take part in 5x5 and 3x3 games and basic basketball clinics.

“The Jamboree was a perfect event to host the coaching seminar which enables the participants to see what an event like this could look like being run in their countries.” La Fleur added.

A key goal from the weekend was to allow FIBA Oceania to teach local coaches and officials how to train and retain young players while also creating a fun environment for kids.

“The best outcome from the weekend was that it gave participants the opportunity to learn about new programs being run around the world that they may be able to implement in their countries and it also gave them the opportunity to share their stories and create great relationships.” La Fleur added.

Along with teaching the benefits of sport and using “Basketball for Good” the event also encouraged participants to make healthy choices concerning food, drinks, and general well-being and showed the importance of taking care of their bodies, a great example by Basketball Victoria of using the IBF's Basketball For Good vision.

Photo: FIBA Oceania Executive Director, David Crocker attending the Mini Basketball event in Echuca

There is a documented increasing dropout rate from sports once children enter their teens and by making events fun the program hosts it can give the future generation more reasons to invest in healthy activities.

FIBA Oceania Executive Director David Crocker is a great advocate for the need to attract and nurture younger generations in basketball and also endorsed the event as “an invaluable exercise in sharing collective knowledge in how to provide a positive experience for young basketball players when they first try our game and how we can then keep their interest in basketball..”

“We would love to see them join our sport for many years ahead as they will contribute to a healthier, more united and happier community based on basketball.”

- Rowan Harrip