Page 6 - BWA 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

THE CHAIR’S REPORT
Jennifer Riatti (Acting Chair)
2021 was again a challenging year for those involved in the running of basketball. We fared better than some other states, in terms of COVID lockdowns and restrictions, but we still had a very complex set of arrangements to deal with.
Our thanks go to all the staff and volunteers involved at our clubs and associations who helped manage the many changing conditions and helped to keep basketball afloat and buoyant. We have learnt to adapt and be agile as a sport and many thanks must go to the BWA staff who provided the industry with strong leadership during difficult times.
2021 marked the start of our new strategic cycle. During the year we completed our review and finalisation of our new strategic plan. We are building on the strengths of the past and looking forward with confidence. We know that basketball has what it takes to serve the many sporting aspirations in our community. It is also very well placed to assist the community in achieving much broader social objectives and impacts.
Our new plan is simplified to enable
us to speak clearly to the community while stiving for the highest levels of success. Our vision “to improve the life of Western Australians through basketball” exemplifies our aim to
get more out of sport than physical achievement, and our mission is simply to “to grow and develop the game of basketball”.
We have four key strategic pillars, Facilities (place to play), Organisations (facilitating play), The Game (playing) and Community (growing the impact). These pillars focus our resources on supporting our community to deliver and support the growth of the game over the coming years.
We look forward to working with our members, stakeholders and partners to achieve our lofty ambitions.
Basketball is now the fastest growing sport in Western Australia for children below fifteen years of age. BWA has grown to have over 57,000 registered participants. This figure doesn’t include our schools, entry level or Aussie Hoops programs. There are still many challenges for our sport, none less than finding a space to play. We are working with our affiliated associations and local, state, and federal governments to try and achieve facility development and expansion over the ensuing years. This will allow basketball to accommodate all those that want to play the game.
Our major competitions continue to rise
in popularity with the WABL competition bursting at the seams with young people wanting to play. Many associations are struggling to offer opportunities to play at the highest level for all those interested. Regionally we have the additional problem of distance and how to bridge the vast distances between associations to provide better competition opportunities. BWA understands these issues and is embarking on a full competition review to ascertain the best way to service our players and provide the highest competition possible per location. We will also be trying to increase championship and carnival level play across the state.
It was an exciting year with the launch of the NBL1 West (formerly SBL) senior competition. The NBL1 is a joint venture with BWA and the NBL, with all games live streamed and a revised presentation format.
6 | BWA ANNUAL REPORT 2021