The problem - The local basketball community has been suffering from a lack of local facilities for many years, and the problem only gets worse by the day, as local clubs are forced to turn 100's of kids away each season. Moonee Valley is the only metropolitan municipality without a competition compliant highball stadium. A tiny number of ageing facilities servicing the community do not come close to covering the current needs, and local clubs have no stadium to call home. Basketball programs, taken for granted elsewhere in the state, are simply a pipedream in Moonee Valley. This is not a new problem. A 2016 study by the Council identified an immediate need for 12 courts to meet the demands of the sport in the municipality. Yet, no earth has been turned on any project and council have not acted despite their own research providing a very strong case for the project to proceed.

Who’s affected? Firstly, local kids are being turned away from the sport in large numbers, with waiting lists increasing each season. The facility shortage also impacts basketball programs for kids and this stretches to school competitions, disability groups and other community groups wanting to take part in the sport. There are no options but to travel elsewhere.

Travel – This is where families are greatly affected. Saturday morning games, quite often between two teams from the same club, are played outside the municipality with half of these games played at Caroline Springs, Derrimut or Sydenham. This unfairly impacts families juggling many commitments and forces these families to ‘divide and conquer’ and miss out on watching their kids play. Add to this, the costs of petrol and tolls, and environmental factors of thousands of vehicles travelling 20km or more (each way), the community is being let down by this inaction. 

Timing – We need a multi-court basketball stadium in Moonee Valley Now. At the last election, 7 of the 9 councillors came out to publicly support the building of a highball stadium. We can recover the damage that basketball and many other sports have suffered locally, but we must get started. We can then welcome kids locally instead of sending another generation into neighbouring municipalities or to other sports.  This action will then allow us to welcome disability groups, seniors and other community groups to come and try our great game and we can be confident to service their needs, just like every other municipal region in Victoria. Enough is enough.  

Please help us send a message to our current councillors that this important facility cannot wait any longer. The patience (and petrol) has completely run out.