Federal Sports Minister Kate Ellis today announced $300 000 to help Basketball Australia (BA) continue to implement critical reforms that will assist in building a stronger future for the sport in Australia.

The $300 000 will specifically support the development of BA, following last year’s decision to reform basketball in Australia and join the National Basketball League and Women’s National Basketball League under the one banner.

The centralisation of the national men’s league under Basketball Australia was a key recommendation of a 2007 governance review conducted by BA and the Australian Sports Commission to capitalise the high participation levels and wealth of Australian high performance home-grown talent.

Basketball is one of Australia’s most popular sports with over 600 000 Australians playing the game right across the country. It is critical, not only for the country’s high performance basketballers, but also the hundreds and thousands of Australians who play the game at a grassroots level, that basketball in Australia has strong governance and development structures in place.

The new funding will enable Basketball Australia to appoint a key leadership role — general manager for high performance — also recommended under the 2007 review.

This new position is expected to assist BA to develop the technical expertise it needs to build Australia’s talent pool and strengthen the future of the game.

Today’s announcement builds on the $4 694 000 funding already provided to BA for 2008–09. The Australian Government will continue to work with BA to strengthen the sport.