Page 8 - BWA Annual Report 2020 W

THE CHAIR'S REPORT
1 | BWA ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Keith Dunlap
2020, for obvious reasons, was a year unlike any other for the Federation. The last year for our 2015-2020 Strategic Plan and the creation of the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, were shrouded in uncertainty. In every business, it is times like these that test the quality of that business. It is the reaction to adverse and changing conditions that show the true colours of the Organisation.
I would like to say that from Board level to BWA management & staff and to all involved with our Members Associations, we took the situation
head-on and have come out the other side in a much stronger position. We’ve learned how to react quickly and efficiently to situations that can change, and have changed, within hours.
The return to the game was faster than we could have anticipated. It proved to us that basketball is a major and valued part of people’s lives and how important our role is in ensuring it is available to all who wish to participate.
In the lead-up to the 2021-25 Strategic Plan, there has been a shift in what the Board considers to be the true value of our sport. It is important who wins and loses or statistically excels; after all, Basketball is a competitive sport. But it’s not the most important thing about participating in the game. It’s about how basketball affects people’s lives and the positive social outcomes that are achieved. This is something that we have all known for a long time, and it’s why we give back to the game, but has never been articulated well.
The vision statement in the BWA 2021-2025 Strategic Plan is “To Improve the Life of Western Australians Through Basketball.” All we do at BWA will be guided by this vision. Basketball in Western Australia is our core business, and we will never lose sight of that. We are the Western Australian Basketball Federation.
Our investment in Management’s ability to be involved early in the conversations with State and Local Governments around facilities, both new and upgraded, bore fruit in 2020. Significant funding was secured for numerous facilities in both Regional and Metropolitan areas. We will continue this into the fu- ture to secure additional facilities for our Member Association. I would like to note that Willetton’s 20 -year vision to secure a major upgrade to its facility came to fruition in 2020. Under the guidance of Phil Nixon, the Association was able to secure government funding on top of a significant contribution of their own funds. It was a fantastic guide to what can be done in the facilities field.
The ownership of the Perth Lynx by Jack Bendat ended at the end of the 2019/20 WNBL season and the licence reverted to BWA. The priority of the program of being a pathway for Western Australia women had been lost. If BWA was to, once again, operate the team, the Board’s directive to Management was to return to that pathway priority when selecting team members. Of the 12 players in the program for the 2020/21 WNBL season (played in the Queensland hub in late 2020), 9 were WA born, 2 others are participants in the WA State League and
1 is a domestic import. We are looking to tighten the sustainability of the program to ensure this pathway endures.
In 2020, the State League Clubs agreed to re-brand the competition “NBL1 West” for the 2021 season. This aligns us current NBL1 leagues in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia with New South Wales set to enter in 2022. The objective was to align with the NBL to create more promotional opportunities, create a clearer player pathway to the NBL and to raise the profile of the league. I applaud the Clubs and BWA Management for maintaining a collaborative process over a considerable period, that made this possible.
At both a Board and organisational level, we continue to work with Basketball Australia to provide direction as to how we can best support basketball from the grassroots to the Olympics and everything in between. 2021 will see a changed Board at Basketball Australia and a chance for the organisation to re-position itself for the future.
I would like to thank my fellow Board members: Jeff Dennis (Deputy Chair), Jennifer Riatti, Craig Coleman, Brian Atkin, Sandra Riches and Cassandra Wright, for their dedication and the time that they so willingly give to Basketball WA. Incorporating a good mix of skill sets, demographic representation and expertise is a challenge for any Board. Those currently on the Board understand that mix and how important it is in directing the future of the game.