Young athletes in Melbourne’s south-west will be one step closer to becoming the next basketball superstars, with a new high-performance basketball training hub to be established in Werribee under a re-elected Andrews Labor Government.

The Werribee hub will be one of seven around the state, giving local kids access to the best training programs close to home, with a clear pathway to playing elite level basketball in Australia or the American NBA.

Operating out of each of the hubs, a new Intensive Training Program will see a dedicated High-Performance Coach work with male and female teams for kids under 14, 15, 16 and 18.

Teams for players with disabilities will also be established, helping to discover our next great Paralympic stars.

Each team will train together every week, plus individual one-on-one weekly sessions to work on shooting and strength conditioning.

As part of the program, local kids will also have the opportunity to compete in interstate and overseas tournaments, allowing them to advance their skills and increase their exposure to national and international talent scouts.

A re-elected Labor Government will invest $5 million to establish the new training hubs, as part of a $101 million plan to grow basketball from grassroots to elite level across the state.

This includes establishing a new Australian Basketball Centre of Excellence at the Knox Regional Sports Park – which Werribee’s new high-performance basketball training hub will feed into – with Basketball Australia relocating their training facilities from Canberra.

Existing basketball facilities at Knox will also be expanded to provide headquarters and training facilities for the new ninth National Basketball League (NBL) team, which will be a Melbourne team.

This will cement Victoria’s position as Australia’s home of basketball, with operations centred at Knox and supported by the high-performance basketball training hubs around the state, including Werribee.

Quotes attributable to Member for Werribee Tim Pallas

 “A new basketball training hub will help kids in Werribee take their hoop dreams to the next level.”

“With dedicated coaching and one-on-one support, this investment is a massive win for local kids and their families.”

Quote attributable to Member for Altona Jill Hennessy

“We’re home to so many young and talented basketballers. If they have big dreams, we’ll help them get there.”

Quote attributable to Candidate for Tarneit Sarah Connolly

“Right now, parents with elite young players have to trek across the city. Instead, we’ll bring the best training to our doorstep.”