2nd September
Author: Maree De George
Melbourne, VICTORIA – Basketball Victoria has launched Together We Raise the Game, a campaign connecting the programs, partnerships, practical resources and stories helping to create safer, healthier, more inclusive and positive basketball environments across Victoria.
A child finding the confidence to join in.
A coach becoming a trusted mentor.
A volunteer creating a place where families feel welcome.
A young person learning to lead, recover from setbacks and believe in themselves.
These moments may never appear on a scoreboard, but they are among basketball’s most important wins.
Across Victoria, basketball brings people together every day. It creates friendships, builds confidence and resilience, supports physical and mental wellbeing, and gives people of all ages a place to participate and belong.
But positive basketball environments do not happen by accident.
They are created by the people who deliver the game, from association and club administrators to coaches, officials, volunteers and families, and are strengthened when those people have access to the right knowledge, tools and support.
That is why Basketball Victoria has created Together, We Raise the Game.
The campaign brings together the work happening beyond the scoreboard, making it easier for the basketball community to discover and access programs, partnerships and practical resources supporting child safeguarding, mental health and wellbeing, inclusion, coach development, volunteers and stronger communities.
Basketball Victoria CEO Nick Honey said the campaign reflected both the impact basketball can have and the shared responsibility to keep improving the environments in which it is delivered.
“People may first come to basketball because they love the game, but what keeps them connected is often something much bigger, the friendships they form, the confidence they build and the feeling that they belong,” Honey said.
“Together We Raise the Game celebrates that impact, while recognising that positive experiences do not simply happen. They are created through the care, commitment and continual learning of people across our basketball community.”
Every time a family brings a child to training, a game or a club activity, they place enormous trust in basketball.
Honouring that trust begins with ensuring children and young people are cared for and supported. It also means creating environments where people feel safe, included and are able to thrive, while equipping those who shape the basketball experience with practical support to help them do that.
This work cannot be delivered by one organisation, one club or one program. It requires Basketball Victoria, associations, clubs, schools, volunteers, coaches, officials, governments, community organisations, partners and parent to work together.
“Basketball Victoria’s role extends well beyond facilitating competitions,” Honey said.
“Our purpose is to connect communities through basketball and support the health, wellbeing and development of all Victorians. An important part of that role is listening to our community and helping the people who deliver the game find and use the support available to them.”
Together, We Raise the Game is not a one-off campaign or a claim that every answer has already been found. It is an ongoing commitment to making support more visible, connected and accessible, and to improving alongside the basketball community.
It is guided by three simple principles: Ask questions. Learn together. Improve continuously.
Because every question can help uncover a better way.
Every shared experience can help someone else.
And every improvement, however small, can make basketball better for the next person who walks through the door.
“We know there will always be more to learn and opportunities to improve,” Honey said.
“What matters is that we are prepared to ask questions, listen to the answers and turn what we learn into meaningful action. That is how we build stronger environments and, together, raise the game.”
Through the campaign, participants, families, coaches, officials, volunteers, clubs and associations can explore the support available, learn from the experiences of others and help shape a stronger future for basketball here in Victoria.
Because the future of the game will not be defined only by what happens on the court.
It will be defined by how people feel when they are part of it.
Ask. Learn. Improve. Together, We Raise the Game.
Explore the programs, partnerships, resources and stories available at bvtogether.com.au.
-ENDS-
