An organiser from one of Shepparton’s biggest First Nations events of the year said after almost a decade of the town hosting it, it may not return.
From Saturday, March 9, to Monday, March 11, the Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Ltd State-wide Basketball Classic took place at the Shepparton Sports Stadium.
VACSAL is a First Nations organisation that does all sorts of social work, with multiple sports programs and tournaments run each year.
The basketball classic is one of their biggest events of the year and has taken place in Shepparton for almost 10 years straight.
Sixteen grades from under-10 to adults (males and females) competed in the tournament, with finals and grand finals taking place on Monday.
There were 148 teams, 1137 players, 27 coaches and 18 team managers registered for the event.
VACSAL chief executive Linda Bamblett said although the organisation had a great relationship with Greater Shepparton City Council, it was doubtful the tournament would return next year.
“There’s just not enough room for us,” she said.
“The stadium isn’t big enough, so unfortunately, we may have to look elsewhere.”
Ms Bamblett is originally from Shepparton, and her daughter represented the Shepparton Gators in basketball.
As long as she can remember, there has been an annual First Nations basketball tournament, even before VACSAL.
Throughout that time, interest in basketball has continued to grow, and the tournaments have got bigger and bigger, while the Shepparton Sports Stadium has remained essentially the same.
On the Monday, finals day, the limited number of courts caused chaos in scheduling, with everything running behind, and games and teams having to be re-organised on different courts at different times.
The spectators overflowed from the small number of bleachers and seats, with the crowd surrounding the courts, sitting on the floor and leaning against the walls.
This posed a significant challenge for spectators with children or wheelchairs, and elderly attendees.
Not to mention a legitimate safety concern for organisers, given the already limited space between the courts and the walls.
Last year, during the Shepparton Gators Big V season, Shepparton player Matt Andronicos went tumbling into a wall during a game, causing a head injury that he had to get checked out at hospital.
If something similar happened during the VACSAL tournament, the player would be crashing into a crowd of adults, children and prams.
Ms Bamblett said she believed that with more than 1000 players registered for the event, it easily brought at least 5000 people to the city.
Given that the tournament took place over the Labour Day weekend, many participants would’ve had to find accommodation for at least two nights, bringing thousands of dollars into the local community along with retail and food spending.
The benefits of these sorts of sporting events are well documented.
Other basketball tournaments just as big as this one use the Shepparton Sports Stadium, including the annual junior tournament, which is forced to use courts across the region as far away as Kyabram.
The lack of investment in basketball facilities in Shepparton is putting at risk significant economic boosts, opportunities for local players and community events such as the VACSAL tournament.
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