Mitcham Thunder Basketball Club desperate to secure indoor training venue in Whitehorse
A WHITEHORSE basketball club desperately needs help to secure indoor court training space for its 20 teams.
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A WHITEHORSE basketball club desperately needs help to secure an indoor training venue for its 20 teams.
And it’s not the only basketball club in the area having trouble finding undercover court space.
Mitcham Thunder Basketball Club players are being forced to train across several venues, with some sacrificing their insurance to practice outdoors because they cannot access an indoor court.
Club president Chris Lloyd said the not-for-profit club, with 150 players, needed help to find another a training venue.
“There is a massive shortage of basketball venues across the board, but mainly in Whitehorse,” she said.
“We’re definitely desperate for help.”
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Mrs Lloyd said she had contacted every school and group with indoor sports courts near Mitcham, but all were booked out by other sporting groups for most of the week.
She said the club had felt the effects of the lack of training venues since it started up in late 2016, but the shortage was getting increasingly worse as the club expanded.
The club is training between four venues when their courts have an available timeslot.
Mrs Lloyd said at least one team was having to train outside because of the shortage of indoor courts.
“When we’re outside we’re not insured by Basketball Victoria,” she said.
The club is calling for a venue to train at in the short term, but another stadium is needed in the long term.
“I’m not the only one running short (of training space),” Mrs Lloyd said.
Nunawading Basketball general manager Mark Hallett said “other clubs definitely” shared the issue of a lack of court space.
He said to fit in as many clubs as possible the association had reduced court time for teams using the space and games were scheduled as late as 11pm.
“Whitehorse is such a basketball area,” Mr Hallett said.
“There are multiple associations chomping at the bit for more space.”
He said a feasibility study conducted specifically for Nunawading Basketball two years ago had showed the association was already 11 courts short of the number needed at the time.
Whitehorse Council general manager human services Terry Wilkinson said the council was working on an Indoor Sports Feasibility Study to “assess the current and future needs of indoor court space across the City of Whitehorse and develop a strategic approach for providing indoor sports facilities into the future”.
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