We are thrilled to be able to announce not one, but TWO new coaching appointments for the Victoria University Wyndham Senior Program.

The WBA welcomes Lucas Allen to the position of Victoria University Big V Championship Men – Head Coach. Coach Allen comes to Wyndham with a wealth of knowledge and experience, having coached in the league for over 10 years, including a championship along the way, Coach Allen knows the league inside out and has a proven track record of success.

“Coach Allen is a huge addition to our program, when you combine his overwhelming experience of working with elite juniors via the Basketball Victoria Country pathway, and also his ever growing experiences with the South East Melbourne Phoenix where he’s their Technical Assistant Coach, we know we have secured a highly credentialed coach to drive our program forward” said Gerard Hillier, WBA Player & Coach Development Manager.

“Coach Allen is a highly driven and focused Coach; he will absolutely bring a high level of professionalism to our program which will not only greatly assist the senior men’s program, but will also filter down to our aspiring young athletes in our junior program.” Added Hillier.

The WBA also welcomes home Aaron Bensted, who is our newly appointed Victoria University Big V Youth League Men – Head Coach. Coach Bensted returns home to Wyndham after spending the past 4yrs with the Melbourne Tigers, where he worked extensively with their u18 to Youth League programs.

Coach Bensted brings a large amount of experience to Wyndham in the Youth League divisions, having served as Assistant Coach under Australian great, Andrew Gaze, for a number of seasons. Coach Bensted also has a great understanding of the Wyndham program, having played all his junior career here at Wyndham, and also coached a number of season with our program in the past.

“Coach Bensted is a really enthusiastic young Coach, and a real student of the game. I have no doubt that Coach Bensted will build a new and exciting environment for our Youth League members to thrive within” said Gerard Hillier, WBA Player & Coach Development Manager.

The WBA also welcome’s back Gerard Hillier as the Victoria University Big V Championship Women – Head Coach, along with Corey Michailidis as the Victoria University Youth League Women – Head Coach.

As part of the Wyndham Way Vision 2024, the WBA’s coaching lead roles will be undergoing a restructure, leading to a sole coaching lead with assistants helping this position.

The restructure means our 2020/21 coaching leads Grant Duca (Boys) and Corey Michialidis (Girls) will be finishing up in these role, though, thankfully, neither will be lost to our association with both Grant and Corey set to continue in other coaching roles across the association.

The WBA wanted to take this opportunity to thank both Grant and Corey for their hard work and dedication across multiple seasons. Both have been pivotal in the development of our players, coaches and the program overall.

Player and Coach Development Manager Gerard Hillier thanked both Grant and Corey for their work in the coaching lead roles.

“Both Grant and Corey and well known and liked for their work within our VJBL program and we can’t thank them enough for the time and expertise they have put into their roles,” Gerard said.

“The leadership positions within our VJBL program are crucial to the overall success of the program, which is why I took a lot of time to consider the best structure moving forward and believe we have landed with it in the Wyndham Way Vision 2024.”

“We’ll be advertising the single Coaching Lead role soon and the start date will obviously be COVID restriction dependent,” Gerard explained.

Wyndham Basketball is thrilled to confirm Billy Akalo is our new Basketball Development Officer.

Many of our community will be familiar with Billy as a VJBL coach and he has been in the role on an interim basis for a few months. He has done such a good job we had no choice but to hire him permanently!

As an experienced VJBL coach, Big V assistant and having worked at Westgate Basketball and as a board member at domestic club level, Billy has a fantastic basketball resume and brings a wealth of knowledge to the role.

A crucial role for the WBA, the Basketball Development Officer is charged with coordinating and running our behemoth Aussie Hoops program, plus our domestic-level development programs. He also leads our interactions and engagement with local schools, ensuring all kids know basketball has a home here in Wyndham and is a great sport to play.

Billy said he had enjoyed his time at the WBA so far and couldn’t wait to get to get back out on court and once again encouraging new participants to our game.

“Fundamentally I just love the sport, so selling it to new participants comes very naturally to me,” Billy said.

“The WBA has done a wonderful job building up the Aussie Hoops program to become one of the biggest in the country and I’m honoured to have the chance to continue its success.”

WBA General Manager Craig Armstead said Billy had proven his capacity while in the interim role.

“While we have been delighted with Billy’s performance in the role on an interim basis, we wanted to follow good governance procedures and undertake a thorough recruitment process. At the end of that process Billy was the standout candidate, which, when added to his specific experience in this space was too good to ignore. His style and skills have fitted in well here at Wyndham and I’m looking forward to see him continue to grow into the role on a permanent basis.”

While we are off court, Billy has produced several skills videos for Aussie Hoops and Domestic level athletes you can CLICK HERE TO SEE.

Gender Inclusion Sub-Committee  

In 2020 the WBA engaged Victoria University to undertake research and prepare a report on Gender Inclusion in domestic and representative basketball at Wyndham. Following this the WBA Executive established a sub-committee on this topic. The sub-committee has decided its first priority is to address the hostile culture that exists and develop a behavioural campaign to promote awareness of both positive and unwanted negative behaviour. The sub-committee believe it is vital to gather real life Wyndham Basketball experiences that can be used as part of the campaign. We are therefore reaching out to members of the basketball community to share their experiences of positive and negative behaviour that will help our creative writers develop stories for the campaign.

The format for providing input is to partake in an interviewed with one of our creative writers.

To get involved, or let us know about your experience, contact us by sending an email  info@wyndhambasketball.com with the subject “Gender Inclusion sub-committee”

Gender Inclusion Program

Through the support of WBA and Victoria University, Sophie Brynes has developed a Gender Inclusion Program that aims to create, implement, and evaluate gender equitable strategies within our WBA affiliated domestic clubs.

To conduct this project, she seeks assistance from domestic coaches to volunteer their time and be a part of this action-based change. Particularly, aiming for one coach per domestic club to volunteer enabling the program to cover the entire WBA domestic competition.

Volunteers will be required to attend six collaborative group sessions over a span of 4 months, involving creating evidence-based strategies to be implemented and evaluated. This is a wonderful opportunity to work together and promote our domestic clubs and Wyndham Basketball Association as inclusive spaces for women and girls.

To get involved or find out more please email your interest to sophie.byrnes@students.vu.edu.au and include your name and your Domestic Club.

Wyndham Basketball Association’s Coaching & Program Coordinator, Jackie Gibson, is leading a group to develop female basketball coaches.

REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE

Not only does Jackie work here at WBA, but she’s also our U18.1B’s head coach, an assistant coach for our Champ Men Big V Basketball team and part of Basketball Australia’s emerging coaches program.

In other words – she knows what she’s talking about! 

The program is free and open to any current or aspiring female coach of domestic or representative team. It’s a chance to learn, network and improve in a fun and safe environment. 

There’s still time to register and we are running sessions every second fortnight but because we know everyone is busy,  there is no obligation to come to every session – you can drop in and out as your schedule allows!

We’re thrilled to announce Victoria University (VU) is officially a major partner of the Wyndham Basketball Association.

As the biggest community sports organisation in Wyndham, the WBA hosts more than 4600 players each week for male and female, and junior and senior teams in all abilities, offering pathways that are affordable, accessible and inclusive.

With participation numbers booming 36% since 2015, the WBA provides much needed and valued programs in Melbourne’s west, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia.

The partnership will see the VU logo incorporated into a new ‘Big V’ uniform design for players, and provide opportunities for VU researchers to expand on projects that promote social inclusion through sport.

WBA General Manager Craig Armstead says the collaboration showcases a shared commitment by both partners to growing and strengthening the communities of Melbourne’s west.

The objectives and goals of VU’s Sports Strategy 2019-2023 align perfectly with the Wyndham Basketball Association Strategic Plan. There are multiple opportunities that we cannot wait to develop with VU, both on- and off-court.

In addition to branding opportunities, VU researchers will follow up a joint evaluation of the WBA’s Gender Inclusion Strategy and Practices in 2020 with further projects.

“WBA’s engagement in research and evidence-based understanding of basketball in the western suburbs has strengthened its relationship with VU. WBA is an exemplar organisation that recognises the importance of its role in the Wyndham community,” said lead researcher on the Change Makers Project, Associate Professor Brent McDonald.

New research will explore sustainable solutions to promote basketball to more girls and women, and empower migrants and refugees through sport participation via an Australian-Government-funded project, Change Makers.

 Wyndham Basketball is delighted to share with our members the full report of the “Evaluation of Gender Inclusion Strategy and Practices” prepared by Dr Brent McDonald, Dr Fiona McLachlan and Sophie Byrnes, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University. 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT

In November 2020, the WBA Executive approved the establishment of a Gender Inclusion Sub-Committee to be responsible for analyzing the recommendations in the report. The Sub-Committee will review the key findings and implement changes in line with the report’s recommendations. 

Since November 2020, the sub-committee has met on several occasions to discuss and prioritize the recommendations. The sub-committee have prioritized the recommendations as per below: 

1. Develop policies and practices to reduce the levels of hostility and aggression that are apparent at all levels of the game at WBA, including zero tolerance for referee abuse 
2. Build a community of practice model between Domestic clubs to harness collective problem solving and develop an inclusive and supportive sporting culture 
3. Ensure that the WBA website and social media communications content is 50/50 gender representative 
4. Establish that reporting on targets becomes a standing item on the agenda of all WBA meetings 
5. Provide specific women only coaching courses 
6. Set clear participation targets (ratio) for girls and women for 2025 
7. Develop competition structures that overcome the talent differentials between purely domestic and representative players 
8. Conduct active research program with Domestic clubs and coaches to enhance their capacity to ensure change occurs and targets are met 

The sub-committee has established the following initial actions below to address some of the recommendations: 

• Develop a campaign to improve the behavior of our members within the WBA community 
• Review and implement changes to existing policies and procedures that will support the behavioral improvements by all members within the WBA community 
• Implement the Female Coach Development Series 
• Review the outcomes of the Basketball Victoria – Female Coaches Survey 
• Review the current WBA products available to female participants 
• Develop a campaign to increase female participation in all areas of the association 

To enable the association to be successful in achieving a change of culture, an increase of gender inclusion within our programs and a clear pathway for players, coaches and officials, the sub-committee will be developing a three year strategic plan to achieve these goals. 

The sub-committee also encourages domestic clubs to work cohesively with the WBA and other members of the association, to implement these changes and work to establish a friendly, diverse and exciting environment. 

The Executive Vice-President and chairperson of the sub-committee, will provide further updates at the upcoming Domestic Committee meeting on Thursday 20^th May 2020. 

Domestic clubs and members of the association unable to attend the Domestic Committee meeting can provide feedback or ask questions by emailing the sub-committee via info@wyndhambasketball.com. 

Mario Costa 

Vice-President
Wyndham Basketball Association 

With JUNE/JULY school holidays just around the corner, check out our exciting WBA holiday camps!

AUSSIE HOOPS CAMP

REGISTER HERE

Wyndham Basketball is hosting an Aussie Hoops Camp at Eagle stadium from 9am until 11am on Tuesday June 29.

Our Aussie Hoops Camp provides participants from ages 5 to 10 years old of beginner skill levels; the opportunity to experience what our Aussie Hoops program is all about. Coaches will take participants through a 2 hour session covering a wide range of skills and games to imitate what a real Aussie Hoops session would be like. After the session, our Basketball Development Officer will explain to you how you can go about registering your child for our Term 2 Aussie Hoops program if you do not already know how to do so.

This Aussie Hoops session will feature all you favourite Wyndham Basketball’s coaches.

DETAILS
Date: Tuesday 29th of June 2021
Time: 9:00am – 11:00am
Venue: Eagle Stadium, 35 Ballan Road Werribee
Cost: $15.00
Age group: 5yo – 10yo
Skill level: Beginner
What to bring: Basketball If you have one, drink bottle & lunch

SUPER CAMP

REGISTER HERE

Our Super Camp provides participants from ages 5 to 12 years old and of all levels; the opportunity to work on their in-game skills, individual and team offence and defence – all while having plenty of FUN!

SIGN UP TO BOTH DAYS – $50.00

CAMP DETAILS – DAY ONE
Date: Wednesday 30th of Jule, 2021
Time: 9:00am-11:00am
Venue: Eagle Stadium, 35 Ballan Road Werribee
Cost: $30
Age group: 5yo – 12yo
Skill level: Beginner to experienced domestic players
What to bring: Basketball, drink bottle

CAMP DETAILS – DAY TWO
Date: Wednesday 7th of July, 2021
Time: 9:00am-11:00am
Venue: Eagle Stadium, 35 Ballan Road Werribee
Cost: $30
Age group: 5yo – 12yo
Skill level: Beginner to experienced domestic players
What to bring: Basketball, drink bottle

DOMESTIC SHOOTING CAMP

REGISTER HERE

Athletes at this shooting camp will:
* Learn the Basketball Australia National Shooting Technique
* Receive individualised feedback on shot

Date: Monday, 5th of July, 2021
Time: 9:00am – 11:00am
Venue: Eagle Stadium, 35 Ballan Road Werribee
Cost:$30 per athlete
Age group: U/10 – U/18 targeted at athletes who play domestic basketball & want to improve their shooting!
What to bring: Basketball & drink bottle.

This is an outstanding development opportunity for domestic athletes to be exposed to elite level coaching & improve their shooting this school holidays!

Any questions about any of the holiday camps can be emailed to Billy Akalo: billy.akalo@wyndhambasketball.com

VJBL REP CAMP

REGISTER HERE

The camps will aim to help athletes prepare for the start of the VJBL season. With a focus on teaching, athletes advanced skill development and core concepts from the Wyndham Way Club Curriculum.

This camp is being run by the WBA Player & Coach Development Manager, Gerard Hillier with the help of some of our qualified Big V players and other WBA coaches.

GIRLS CAMP
Date: Tuesday the 6th of July, 2021
Time: 9:00am-11:30am
Venue: Eagle Stadium, 35 Ballan Road Werribee
Cost:$45* per athlete
Age group: U/12 – U/18 rep only athletes.
What to bring: Basketball, drink bottle.

BOYS CAMP
Date: Thursday 8th of July, 2021
Time: 9:00am-11:30am
Venue: Eagle Stadium, 35 Ballan Road Werribee
Cost:$45* per athlete
Age group: U/12 – U/18 rep only athletes.
What to bring: Basketball, drink bottle.

Questions can be directed to Coaching & Programs Coordinator, Jackie Gibson
Email: jackie.gibson@wyndhambasketball.com OR Phone: (03) 9108 5985

Wyndham Basketball has welcomed Dean Zardo into the new role of Technical Officials Development Officer.

Dean comes to Wyndham with an impressive resume in refereeing across some of Melbourne’s biggest associations and is set to use that experience to succeed in his role here.

Alongside a degree in Media and Communications, Dean has been President of Bulleen’s referee association and a referee coach for A and B grade referee programs at Waverley Basketball.

As a Level 3 referee himself, Dean said he was looking forward to guiding the next generation of officials here at Wyndham.

“I’m passionate about the development of referees, and I’m thrilled to have now aligned that passion with career” Dean explained.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone within Wyndham’s TOC branch and making sure we’re putting everything in place for all of our officials to thrive.”

Wyndham Basketball’s General Manager Craig Armstead said bringing Dean on board was an important strategic piece for the WBA.

“Having a staff member dedicated to growing and developing pathways for our officials is really going to strengthen our TOC going forward,” Craig said.

“Allison and her team are working hard getting us back after the Covid break and already Dean is providing great value in helping us return and grow.”