The Wanneroo Basketball Association is pleased to advise that it has received funding from the City of Joondalup for the establishment and operation of the Wanneroo Basketball Elite Athlete Program for the next three years.

The City of Joondalup provided $19,992 towards the program, with Councillor Kerry Hollywood presenting the Association with the cheque at the recent State Basketball League home game against the Perry Lakes Hawks. The program is designed to further enhance the development pipeline of the Wolves players and coaches, with a view to developing a greater number of players who can go on and represent the region, Western Australia and also the Country.

President of Wanneroo Basketball Association Ryan Hunter emphasised that the program was not designed to create a new development pathway, but was set to enhance the work that was already being undertaken by the Club.

“The success of the Wolfpack in recent years has been largely attributed to the success of our junior program and encouraging players to reach the next level” Hunter said.

“This program is being established so that these players who clearly have the ability to achieve bigger and better things are receiving the attention of top quality coaches and national league players, so that they can not just represent the Association at the higher level but they can have an immediate impact and open additional doors to a new career path or development program”.

The Wolves have had recent success in developing talent, but there was always an opportunity to give young players additional guidance not only on the floor, but also in the areas of sports science and nutrition. The support of the City of Joondalup enables the Elite Athlete Program to develop talent to an even higher level than has previously been seen in WA Basketball.

“The Elite Athlete Program is also designed to create opportunities for player development at the grass roots of basketball in Wanneroo as well” said Hunter.

“Each year, the participants and coaching staff associated with the program will deliver a series of coaching and player development workshops that will be used to enhance the skills of up and coming players. These coaches and players will then get a taste for the next level of basketball, and be provided with opportunities to develop their skills which will lift the overall development of the sport in the region”.

Article by Wanneroo Wolves
Photo from Wanneroo Wolves