Our Wyndham High-Performance Hub had a special guest on Thursday morning with Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas MP coming to see the Hub in action!
Mr. Pallas MP, the sitting Member for Werribee and Victorian Treasurer since 2014, had a walkthrough of Basketball Victoria’s High Performance program and strategy on Thursday. Minister Pallas and Western Metropolitan Region member Cesar Melhem MP were presented with Victorian jerseys by a group of State Development Program (SDP) players to thank them for their support.
With the Victorian Government’s $5m capital investment into High Performance basketball in 2019, we have been able to expand our programs and bring life to the regional hubs. With our recent expansion to 11 suburban and regionally located Hubs across Victoria, the program gives elite athletes a chance to develop in their home suburbs and have the skills necessary to aspire for greatness in leagues across Australia and the world.
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas MP said the work that Basketball Victoria has done in the High- Performance Hubs is admirable and a great showcase of Victoria’s passion for basketball.
“It’s just fantastic to be here at Eagle Stadium in Wyndham – the most exciting thing about it is the development of the sport and it’s happening around us here and we’re seeing the future of basketball working out,” Pallas MP said. “The Victorian Government has committed $5m for seven of the High Performance hubs so we’re seeing people as young as Under-14 getting the training and the advice that they need to develop a career in basketball.
More than 50 per cent of all basketball played in this country occurs in the state of Victoria and we’re demonstrating exactly what that investment is doing – it’s connecting young people to sport, it’s giving them the advice to get the nutrition and mental health advice to form a career, but also to understand that sport is a vital part of our community.
“I’d like to thank Basketball Victoria for the fantastic work they’ve done with these 11 High- Performance Hubs; Basketball Victoria is making an investment in ensuring this sport is an enduring part of the sporting landscape of the sporting capital of the world.
“We’ve put in over $100m in building and investing in basketball facilities across the state and we’ve done it because young people have voted with their feet – this is a well-administered sport but more importantly, it’s a sport that young people are flocking to.
“It’s very popular and we have a wide offering of commitment – we have young boys and girls, men and women, athletes with a disability and the connections into some of our communities - particular the African community – basically is sending a very clear message that basketball is for everybody.
“It’s a sport that everybody can embrace and it’s one that with good administration and good facilities we’ll get a premium performance.”
Basketball Victoria CEO Nick Honey said the Andrews Victorian Government’s investment into basketball is reaping incredible success at all levels, as new and redeveloped infrastructure alongside the High-Performance Hubs give everyone a chance to play our great sport in their region.
“We’ve seen great success from our High Performance programs in recent years thanks to the increased training and development opportunities that the Hubs have delivered,” Honey said. “The Victorian Government’s significant investment in basketball in 2019 has enabled the launch and growth of the Hubs and the results of this elite development are speaking for themselves.
“There have been some amazing stories for national senior and junior representatives, Australian Junior Championships success and especially seeing Victorian athletes star on the world stage.
“NBA and WNBA draftees Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Ezi Magbegor and Jade Melbourne are just some of the elite Victorians who have gone through our High Performance programs in recent years.
“Their successes at the international level highlight our elite coaching and skills development that can be delivered in these programs and the opportunity it can give Victorian athletes.
“The Andrews Victorian Government has supported basketball’s expansion throughout the community with a number of elite facilities built and redeveloped throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria in its time in office.
“Their $105m investment towards the State Basketball Centre expansion (plus a $27m contribution from Knox City Council) as well as redevelopments at Bendigo Stadium, Ballarat Sports and Events Centre and the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium are just a few of the stadia this Government has funded and supported.
“With amazing programs and facilities across the state, the Victorian basketball community has a better pathway to play the sport as well as reach for their basketball ambitions.”
Basketball Victoria would like to thank the Treasurer Tim Pallas MP, Cesar Melhem MP, Wyndham Council Acting CEO Peter McKinnon, Wyndham Council Mayor Peter Maynard, and Wyndham Basketball President Paul Jones for attending the Wyndham High Performance Hub this morning and for the Victorian Government’s investment into our High-Performance Hubs across the last five years.
