12th February
Kym Cheeseman
Melbourne, Victoria - Sporting Schools grants continue to support schools to help more students become active, build confidence and create positive sporting experiences, and with our support we can ensure recipients make the most of their funding.
Basketball is one of the most popular participation sports with over 500 000 weekly participants in Victoria, it provides an accessible and inclusive entry point for students of all abilities.
Across Victoria, schools are using their Sporting Schools funding to deliver engaging basketball programs that create positive first experiences with physical activity and team sport.
Basketball Victoria supports primary and secondary schools who are delivering basketball programs, with a mix of coach-led sessions and structured teacher resources, ensuring inclusive, high-quality experiences for students of all abilities, regardless of prior involvement in the sport. Alongside our popular coach-delivered programs, schools can access comprehensive teacher-delivered packages that make it easy to run their own engaging basketball sessions.
These packages include clear, structured lesson plans aligned with best-practice physical education, giving teachers the confidence to deliver fun, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate activities for every student.
The positive feedback from schools highlight the positive impact of these programs. As the team from St Vincent de Paul’s Primary School in Morwell shared, “Thank you for all of the wonderful resources and teaching unit supplied with the Sporting Schools grant. There are great activities within the unit that were easy to follow and that the kids enjoyed. They really loved the new basketballs that we were able to purchase with the grant.”
Beyond individual lessons, basketball programs delivered with the support of Sporting Schools grants contribute to a broader culture of participation within schools. The resources that we provide for the teacher-led programs have been built around inclusive coaching principles, known as the CHANGE IT PRINCIPLE.
The CHANGE IT PRINCIPLE is an acronym that outlines a different way of thinking for teaching staff so they can support all students to give them confidence to try sport.
- C – Coaching style (how instructions and feedback are given)
- H – How you score or win (adjusting rules to reward effort or teamwork)
- A – Area (changing the size or shape of the playing space)
- N – Numbers (varying team sizes or player roles)
- G – Game rules (modifying rules to simplify or add challenge)
- E – Equipment (using different ball sizes, weights or types)
- I – Inclusion (ensuring everyone has a meaningful role)
- T – Time (adjusting the length of activities or turns)
Importantly, the impact of the Basketball Victoria programs for schools can extend beyond the school gates. With more than 140 member associations across Victoria, clear connections between schools and local basketball associations create pathways for students who want to continue playing in community competitions. These links help turn a short-term school program into a longer-term sporting journey.
This focus on sustained participation aligns strongly with the Australian Sports Commission’s Play Well Strategy, which aims to create safe, welcoming sporting environments where people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities feel they belong. By combining school-based programs with visible community pathways, basketball helps students build not only physical skills, but also confidence, connection and a lifelong relationship with sport.
As Sporting Schools programs continue to roll out across the state, basketball remains a powerful vehicle for helping young people discover the joy of movement, teamwork and belonging - foundations that can support healthier, more active communities into the future.
