About BA
Basketball Australia is the governing body for the sport of basketball in Australia and is responsible for Australian national teams, the Centre of Excellence, the WNBL, NWBL, national junior championships and Aussie Hoops - Australian basketball's official junior game development program. BA's head office is in Melbourne, Victoria at the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South and the CEO is Matt Scriven, who has been in office since Mid 2021.
An Olympic and Paralympic sport, basketball shares one of the highest international profiles with 213 nations currently playing the world’s second-largest game. Highly regarded on the world stage, as at November 2019, the Boomers (Australia's Men's team) is currently ranked 3rd as a nation by the global body FIBA, while the Opals (Australia's Women's team) is ranked 2nd.
With strong national talent and the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020, Australian basketball is set to be in the spotlight over the next few years.
National Teams
Under its national team remit, Basketball Australia oversees 16 teams:
The Boomers – Senior Men
The Opals – Senior Women
The Emerging Boomers – U23 Men
The Emerging Opals – U23 Women
The Emus – U19 Men
The Gems – U19 Women
The Crocs - U17 Men
The Sapphires - U17 Women
The Rollers – Senior Wheelchair Men
The Gliders – Senior Wheelchair Women
The Spinners – U23 Wheelchair Men
The Devils – U25 Wheelchair Women
The Boomerangs – Intellectual Disability Men
The Pearls – Intellectual Disability Women
The Goannas – Deaf Men
The Geckos - Deaf Women
These teams have brought home over 40 medals from official international competition including Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships with major event gold medal performances including:
1992 – Australian Pearls – World Championships Spain
1993 – Australian U19 Gems – World Championships Korea
1996 – Australian Rollers – Atlanta Paralympics
1997 – Australian Emerging Boomers – World Championships Australia
2003 – Australian U19 Emus – World Championships Greece
2006 – Australian Opals – World Championships Brazil
2006 – Australian Opals – Commonwealth Games Australia
2006 – Australian Boomers – Commonwealth Games Australia
2008 – Australian Rollers – Beijing Paralympics
2010 – Australian Rollers – World Championships United Kingdom
2014 – Australian Rollers – World Championships South Korea
2018 - Australian Opals - Commonwealth Games Australia
2018 – Australian Boomers – Commonwealth Games Australia
Community
Contributing to Australian basketball's high performance success is its strong grassroots base that features over 420 associations nationwide and the national Aussie Hoops program. Launched in 2002 and refreshed in 2014, Aussie Hoops continues to provide 5-10 year olds and their families with a structured, safe and fun introductory basketball experience.
The national leagues of the NBL (established 1979, under private ownership since 2015), the WNBL (established 1981), the NWBL (established 1988) and the WNWBL (established 1988) house much of Australia’s emerging talent as well as many international athletes. Rich in history, each league forms a vital part of the Australian Basketball Pathway for participants.
Basketball Australia also has a number of other national properties including;
The Basketball Network (TBN)
The TBN provides affiliated associations with a registration and payments system, competitions module, digital scoring apps and a website, making the business of basketball more efficient. The registration system provides a platform to onboard members and accept payments, while the competitions and scoring modules allow associations to capture participant activity and game stats. The website provides associations with the ability to communicate effectively with their members, who can view their fixtures, results and stats at the click of a button.
Australian Junior Championships
The Australian Junior Championships brings all states together for competitions from U14s to U20s. This is where the world can find the next Lauren Jackson or Andrew Bogut, and it may well happen in your backyard as the championships are rotated throughout Australia. The Ivor Burge Championships (held concurrently with the U20 Australian Junior Championships) was introduced in 1995 and is one of the world's premier competitions for athletes with an Intellectual Disability. The Australian Schools Championship determines the champion secondary school in Australia.
Centre of Excellence (CoE)
The CoE - formerly known as the AIS Basketball Program and the National Intensive Training Centre Program (NITCP) - was introduced in 1981 to develop both athletes (aged 14 - 17) and coaches throughout Australia to national and international standards. The program has been regarded as one of the world's premier junior development programs with household names such as Lauren Jackson, Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Penny Taylor, Luc Longley, Liz Cambage, Adam Caporn, Marc Bradtke, Matthew Dellavedova, Aaron Baynes and Joe Ingles being former graduates of the program.
National Referees Development Program (NRDP)
The NRDP provides referees with additional training and mentoring to accelerate their development. Australia's referees have a proud and successful history internationally and the NRDP is a key element in that development.
National Insurance Scheme
Basketball's National Insurance Scheme provides cover to all affiliated associations and provides one of the most comprehensive schemes available in sport in Australia with public liability, professional indemnity, player injury as well as Directors and Officers insurance.
Welcome to the world of Basketball.
Commissions
Reporting to the Basketball Australia Board are five strategic commissions that will assist in governing the sport. These commissions are led by a member of the Basketball Australia Board and make strategic recommendations to Basketball Australia.
Members of each commission were 50 per cent nominated through an open and inclusive nomination process, with the balance directly appointed by the board. (There is a different nomination process for the NBL Commission).
Governance Structure for Commissions
The five commissions are:
Associations Commission
Competitions Commission
High Performance Commission
Honours and Awards Commission
WNBL Commission
BA Strategy
Basketball Australia, together with their state/territory associations and national league clubs, is responsible for the growth and development of the sport through the Strategic Plan:
You can read Basketball Australia's Policies, By-Laws and Guidelines on the website.
Annual Reports
2020 Annual Report
2019 Annual Report
2018 (July to Dec 2018) Annual Report
2017/2018 Annual Report
2016/2017 Annual Report
2015/2016 Annual Report
2014/2015 Annual Report
2013/2014 Annual Report
2012/2013 Annual Report
2010/2011 Annual Report
2009/2010 Annual Report
2008 Annual Report
2006 Annual Report
2005 Annual Report
Governance
Basketball Australia Constitution (effective October 2018)
Awards
The following people have been awarded the BA Life Time Achievement Award:
2007 Fred Van Dongen (QLD)
2006 Robert Young OAM (QLD)
2006 Jack Small OAM (NSW)(dec)
2004 Ken Watson (VIC)(dec)
