Ian Wright has represented Shepparton in basketball for the better part of two decades.
In that time, he can recall one change to the Shepparton Sports Stadium: the bleachers were made more wheelchair accessible.
“The grandstand was adjusted at one point,” Wright said.
“And I’m pretty sure it mainly just took away seating.”
Over his entire playing career, the Gators have fought for dedicated clubrooms.
They finally got some last year, before his retirement as a player in the season just gone.
If the facilities are progressing at all, it’s at a snail’s pace.
Wright capped his career off with a fairytale ending, winning the Big V division one grand final last season with the Gators.
And even that day, the facility’s issues were plain to see.
More than 1000 people showed up to watch the game, with about 300 sent home and more forced to stand on the bleachers or crowd around the other court with a limited view of the game due to the seating capacity.
His experience playing basketball in Shepparton, much like his teammate Sam Beks, contrasts with his time spent at Bendigo.
The city’s Red Energy Arena is a sporting haven, the sort of stadium Shepparton can only dream about.
Players don’t have issues finding time or court space to practice, or casually get some shots up, and fans aren’t turned away on game day thanks to continued upgrades of both courts, facilities and seating capacity.
In general, Wright’s playing days in different towns, including like Albury and Ballarat, have vindicated him in his belief that Shepparton is well and truly falling behind.
“And that’s a real shame because basketball is massive here in Shepparton,” Wright said.
“The rest of the sports precinct is pretty new and shiny, and then there’s that stadium next to it.”
Wright said it was hard to advertise Shepparton as a destination to international imports and even players from other towns in regional Victoria because the facilities are so poor.
According to him, the rims are underwhelming and have only been updated once throughout his career.
Court availability is also a big issue, and just like Beks, the only time Wright can get shots up outside of training sessions is at his gym.
And the only time the Gators can train is at night.
“The juniors have stopped playing by then,” he said.
“They miss out on that chance to see the Gators and interact with their local role models and heroes.”
Over his 16-year career, a steady few hours’ worth of rain has regularly threatened to halt competition for days, due to water leaking in.
Beyond that, the stadium leaks are a legitimate safety issue.
“We’ve had a couple of guys slip on some wet spots during training,” Wright said.
“And that can be a bit scary and is definitely dangerous.”
While years of continued talks, empty promises, and plans for an upgrade have left Wright frustrated, he’s still optimistic about the future of basketball in Shepparton.
“Basketball in Shepparton is buzzing, it’s really exciting,” he said.
“There’s so much opportunity in Shepparton, and an upgrade to the stadium would just take it all to another level.”
As for what an upgrade looks like, Wright said the number of courts would need to be doubled, while an overall improvement to the quality of the facilities was necessary.
He also said there was a real revenue opportunity to build some sort of restaurant or bistro on-site and cater to all the different sports in the area.
He believed fewer Shepparton graduates were leaving the town to study at university, due to more education and tertiary opportunities available on their doorstep, meaning a golden opportunity may exist for a strong generation of basketball players to be based locally.
Unfortunately, players leave basketball for other sports because the facilities and infrastructure are more attractive and accessible, he says.
“We’ve got to keep the kids in the game,” Wright said.
“I remember when I was a junior player coming through, there were rumours about a new stadium floating around.
“And now I’ve retired, and nothing has changed.”
Show your support for our campaign by signing our petition at www.change.org/p/upgrade-the-shepparton-sports-stadium
Stand For Our Stadium: The story so far
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