Expression of Interest: Infrastructure Victoria -

Thirty-Year Infrastructure Strategy

Introduction –

Basketball Victoria (BV) is one of the largest state sporting associations in Australia. Currently we service one hundred and fifty five affiliated associations who represent over one hundred and seventy thousand registered members, plus over two hundred thousand other participants in our game.

Basketball structure –

The world governing body for basketball is FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball), based in Geneva, Switzerland. In Australia, Basketball Australia (BA) is the governing body for the sport.

Under BA, there are eight state and territory members of which Basketball Victoria (BV) is the largest.

In Victoria, BV is responsible for the sport and has four individual Commissions that have responsibility for various specific components such as competitions and technical support. As stated earlier, we support one hundred and fifty five affiliate members in Victoria.

Identifying needs -

In 2012 BV released its Facilities Master Plan for Victoria. At that stage we were using some five hundred and eighty four courts around the state for the conduct of competitions, training and camps. That report identified the immediate need for an additional forty-seven new courts statewide with a further sixty courts to be developed over the next ten to fifteen years.

In the first half of 2016 we are undertaking a review of that plan to verify the basis of the report, then to expand it to prioritize by region future development requirements.

The major issue for our sport is the chronic shortage of facilities for playing and training.There has been significant growth in participation reflected by unprecedented growth in registrations with affiliated Associations; with registrations increasing by 50% over the last 10 years, (Reference i, ii) despite a chronic shortage of playing and training space. Participation in growth areas is generally well below the state average. (Reference i, ii) Our research has shown that where facilities are adequately provided they are filled to capacity and the participation rates are higher than state averages. Of particular importance is that the well-provisioned centres have a diverse range of programs catering for a greater cross-section of the community.

Looking to the future –

We believe a number of issues relative to indoor sport need to be considered in developing future infrastructure plans in Victoria.

a. With the footprint of metropolitan Melbourne expanding year on year, we believe there are some essentials to be considered. For example –

  • More efficient road systems will be essential;
  • More rail and/or light rail systems to out lying areas will be required;
  • These have to be a part of the initial stages in the development plans;
  • Sports will need more regional facilities.

b. In the planning for future developments, it must include provision for indoors sport facilities as well as the open field sports. In many growth areas planners are utilising a flawed ratio of 1 court: 10,000 (residents) across all indoor sports. Our research indicates that this ratio is considered acceptable for a single sport (Reference I,) (e.g. basketball or netball) however courts are multi‐use, therefore access is shared and hence additional courts are needed. Therefore across the major indoor sports a more appropriate ratio is 1 court: 10,000 (residents) if dedicated solely for basketball; otherwise in the range of 3 courts: 10,000 residents if allocated across a range of indoor sports.

c. Location of these facilities will also be a major consideration; they should be located in close proximity to transport hubs such as rail and bus to enable a wider access by community members. However research indicates that a large percentage of indoor court participants rely on travel by car to get to their centre, (Reference iii) thus closeness/ access to road hubs and provision of car parking is essential.

d. It is our feeling that the population will be less likely to travel long distances to attend sporting activities in the future, hence the above suggestions.

e. In planning these new facilities, our recommendation is that they become “sports hubs” meaning that they cater for more than indoor sports and have a community facility aspect. For example there could be –

  • Indoor-sport (basketball, netball, gymnastics etc.);
  • Community facilities such a meeting and social rooms;
  • Cafes;
  • Gymnasium facilities;
  • Medical Centre;
  • Childcare facilities.

These facilities are generally a part of any development; there could be economies of scale by developing as a part of a larger project.

f. Future partnerships – we believe that to provide the funding for future developments, there will need to be contributions from Federal, State and Local Government, as well as related departments that will also benefit such as DET. In the future the sports may also be contributors. The current sport and recreation facility funding programs provided by Local and State Government (and special one-off infrastructure support activities of the Federal Government) are inadequate to provide for the rapid growth in demand.

The increased demand for basketball facility space will continue, particularly in the identified new growth areas of Melbourne and its development areas. This issue requires a massive injection of resources by a range of stakeholders including all levels of government, developers and community.

Contacts – Nick Honey ()

- Wayne Bird ()

Basketball Victoria

April10, 2016.

Reference Source Material –

(i)BV facility Master Plan 2012 – SGL P/L

(ii)BV Census 2012 – Street Ryan & Associates

(iii)SRV 1992, 1999 & 2001 – Surveys, Travel to Sport Centers

State Basketball Centre, 291 George Street Wantirna South Vic 3152

Tel 03 9837 8000 Fax 03 9837 8077 ABN 92 328 079 452

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