Children’s basketball game erupts in brawl for second time in year at Reservoir stadium

A junior basketball game has erupted into violence for the second time in 12 months, with children left watching on from the sidelines as adults brawled.

A brawl has erupted at a basketball stadium in Melbourne’s north for the second time in a year.

The latest fight broke out at Darebin Community Sports Stadium in Reservoir on Saturday morning during what’s believed to be an under 8s basketball game.

The young players were left standing on the side lines while adults around them became embroiled in the pushing and shoving.

One man dressed in a black shirt and sports shorts can be seen pointing and yelling at someone in the crowd.

He rushes to engage with them before he’s pulled away from a potential melee.

Referees try to calm the angry parents.

A woman tries to restrain a man during the fracas.

Throughout the video, desperate umpires can be heard blowing their whistles and trying to keep the peace.

“You need to be arrested,” one man can be heard saying in the footage.

“Don’t talk to me, it’s a free country, don’t touch me.

“Get out of my face.”

Another woman can be seen in a heated discussion with a man in a baseball cap, eventually shoving her middle finger in his face.

In a statement, Basketball Victoria said it was “disappointed by the behaviour displayed at the game by number of individuals”.

“Basketball Victoria is aware of a situation that occurred at Darebin Community Sports Stadium, involving parents in an U8 boys’ domestic game between Bulleen and Pascoe Vale Basketball Clubs,” the statement said.

Basketball Victoria confirmed the Eastern Districts Junior Basketball Association was investigating the incident, saying “appropriate sanctions” would be issued to anyone found to be in breach of the code of conduct and bylaws.

“Basketball Victoria is committed to creating an environment where the community can enjoy participation in our activities, events or programs without experiencing abusive, insulting, threatening or other anti social behaviour,” it said.

It’s not the first instance of a violent incident at the stadium.

In March 2024, a girls under 16s basketball match became violent free-for-all, with groups of parents throwing punches at each other on the court.

The tense scenes spiralled into an all-in brawl when one mother punched another.

After a tribunal hearing, Basketball Victoria elected to ban both sides for the remainder of the season.