Basketball Geelong has won the right to host the Basketball Australia 2014 Australian Under 16 Championships.

The event will be held at the Geelong Arena from July 5 – 12 and will bring together basketball’s rising stars, giving junior players the opportunity to test themselves against the best competition from around the country in their age group.

Basketball Geelong Chair Chris Burrell is excited about the opportunity this event has created for Basketball Geelong and the Geelong community.

“More than 280 of Australia’s junior basketball stars will come together in Geelong next year for the Australian Under 16 Championships,” he said.

“We believe we are well prepared for such an event, having hosted a number of national and international events in the past, including the Commonwealth Games, Australian Schools Championships, NBL and WNBL games, as well as the Boomers, Jayco Opals and Gliders.”

Basketball Geelong will work closely with City of Greater Geelong to ensure the greatest experience possible at an event delivery level, along with the wider community experience.

The Championships will bring over 1000 visitors to the region, providing a mid-winter boost for local tourism and retail sectors estimated to be worth over $800,000 to the local economy.

The Australian Junior Championships are an important stepping stone in the career of Australian basketballers. Many of Australia's best players took part in Australian Junior Championships before going on to represent Australia at Olympic or World Championships level, including Opals Lauren Jackson and Kristi Harrower and Boomers Patrick Mills and Mark Worthington.  

City of Greater Geelong Mayor Keith Fagg said Basketball Geelong’s successful bid for the 2014 Australian Under 16 Basketball Championships was a fantastic achievement.

“We haven’t had Australian Championships here in Geelong since the early 1990s, so it is very exciting to have them back here once again,” he said.

“This is a major event, showcasing some of the nation’s best young basketball talents over a two week competition period.”

“Not only is this a great coup for the Basketball community, major events such as this bring significant flow-on economic benefit to our region.”

“Congratulations to Basketball Geelong on successfully attracting this event, I know it is going to be an exciting fortnight of sport in Geelong,” said the Mayor.

Sport and Recreation portfolio holder Cr Jock Irvine said the Geelong Arena was a fantastic venue perfect for major events.

“With a seating capacity of up to 1,400 patrons in the show court, the Geelong Arena is widely recognised as the home of basketball in Geelong” he said.

“The Arena has hosted many major basketball games, recently including the Australian Boomers vs Greece in 2012 and the 2011 NBL Preseason Game - Melbourne Tigers vs Adelaide 36ers.”

“The Australian Under 16 Junior Championships will provide a great chance to see the stars of tomorrow come up against each other in the highest level of competition in Australia.”

“This will be yet another memorable sporting event in Geelong.”

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 For further inquiries please contact:

Chris Burrell
Chair
Basketball Geelong
Ph: 0417 832 153