Important Information - Must Read - Winter 2019 Season Information.

2 Mar 2019 by Troy Ellis

Hi Taylors Lakes Basketball Members and Players,
On behalf of the Basketball Club Committee, we hope you and your team had a successful and enjoyable Summer 2018/19 basketball season. With this Saturday’s game being the last round of the regular Summer season, I thought the club should give you all an update on some developments for the new Winter 2019 season. We wish all teams that have successfully reached a finals campaign, the very best of luck over the next few weeks.
• Winter Season 2019 Registration.
Basketball has seen some significant growth and with a lack of venue / basketball court availability in the North – Western Suburbs of Melbourne, we find the association (KBA) and most basketball clubs are running at capacity. What this means is that the association (KBA) can only allow enough teams into the Winter competition that can be serviced by the current venues and available court space.
The committee strongly recommends if you want to play basketball in the Winter 2019 season, you must register early. The club is now holding a considerable waiting list of players seeking entry onto a team in our club. The Committee must submit the total number of Winter teams to the KBA by Grand Final Day 30th March 2019.
With the Winter season fast approaching the club needs to identify any player that will not be returning for the Winter 2019 season. Please advise your coach or team manager if a player is not returning. The club is mindful that we lose a few kids to the other winter sorts like Soccer and Aussie Rules. The club requires this information back ASAP.
Registration for the Winter 2019 season can be made on the club’s team app site under the store icon.
https://taylorslakesbasketballclub.teamapp.com/
• Building the teams for Winter 2019:
The club would like to start implementing / phasing in some small changes that will assist in reducing the stress levels to players and coaching staff. We would consult coaches and players to achieve the best outcome for all. The committee has made an obligation to have all the teams confirmed by the 24th of March.
1: Team Player numbers capped to 8. Now I understand we have several teams running 10 players and that fine to continue but any new player enquiry to a team that has 8 Players will be told the team is full and placed on a waiting list. This will reduce the stress on the coach and assist in more court time for the players.
2: Allocating players to the correct grade and age group. Being a small club, we just don’t have the player pools as some of the larger clubs and therefore two issues arise.
(a) We sometimes need to group bottom age and top age kids together to make a team. More emphasis will be put towards identifying age group differences and player ability and matching the team up accordingly. The aim here is to develop and bring up the team with all the kids the same age so they play year on year together.

(b) Players playing up an age group.
Yes, the club understands that some players are playing up an age group to assist those teams that have low player numbers. The future direction of the club is to assist as practically possible to find the most suitable team for those players that will challenge their skill level and playing ability in their nominated age group only.
• New Coaches Required:
We must thank the wonderful work all our coaches have displayed this season. Unfortunately, we see several coaches that will be hanging up the whistle and after a number of seasons coaching, and either be coaching less teams or not returning. We thank you for your efforts.
What this means is we have several vacant positions for coaches across all age groups. Looking for people with some basketball experience but not essential. The club will support any new coach and will offer a Level 1 Coaching course for all coaches. Please if you are interested in a coaching position or know someone that shows coaching qualities, please contact the club.
• Team Managers:
It is recommended that all teams have a nominated team manager. The team managers role has slightly changed with the association (KBA) moving to a cashless environment for game day payments, but we must encourage each team to nominate a team manager. The team manager will keep you informed on game day activities and will assist and coordinate a scoring roster. The can also be used to monitor parent behaviour.
• Registration and Game day fees:
The clubs Registration cost will stay the same but the association (KBA) will no longer be accepting the $2:50 door entry payment. The cash situation has been identified as being a risk especially in the outer venues.
What this means:
The Winter 2019 season will be total cashless. You will no longer need to pay the door staff the entry fee. Their role will develop into a venue co-ordinator and they will assist with the operational side of the game day activities.
This season (Summer 18/19) the KBA has been directly invoicing our club for the score sheet payment. This is what the $65 team sheet contribution was put towards.
Winter 2019 will see the $2.50 per player and spectator (over 12) door charge roll over to the Team Sheet Contribution Fee. So, you will see an increase in this fee.
The KBA will be charging per score sheet / per team:
Regular Season = $72
Finals = $94
Based on an average of 8 players per team, this works out to $9.00 per player, per game for the regular season. The club is still finalising the exact amount that we will be charging. Time line for this will be before 11th of March.

We hope you continue an enjoyable basketball experience for both players and coaching staff.
If you have any questions about the above information, please feel free to contact one of our friendly committee members or you can email me at President@taylorslakesbasketball.com.au

Regards,

Troy Ellis
President