www.bigv.com.au

As seen in October Issue of Overtime Magazine

REUNITED

As a state, Victoria boasts more than 50% of the National playing population in this sport. Our State teams dominate the National scene. Victoria really IS the place to be in basketball terms. And we’ve had it pretty right all bar one exception – youth competition.

Players and clubs all happily mingle through junior ranks, but come that transition to seniors and you experienced the great divide. Two leagues operating seemingly in competition with each other which created confusion for not only the athletes themselves but more so for on-lookers trying to get a grasp of our sport, particularly potential corporate partners and the like. Not to mention, how could Victoria crown a true “State Champion” when two leagues were in operation?

From season 2013 this will no longer be the case. With thanks to a dedicated group representing various interests in the sport, D League and State Youth Championship will become one.

The working group has prepared a paper outlining their recommendations which has now been approved by the Boards of both Big V and Basketball Victoria and has been distributed to the Big V club Delegates.

From an operational perspective, the recommendation of the Basketball Victoria 23 and Under Working Group is as follows:

That the rights for the conduct of a ‘23 and Under’ competition in Victoria be vested in Big V by Basketball Victoria, as the State Governing Body. The competition will be known as the Victorian Youth Championship and be subject to the conditions outlined below.

3.1 Playing Criteria

3.1.1 Only players who are 23 years and under as at December 31 in the year of competition will be eligible to compete;

3.1.2 Any players who are 23 years and under as at December 31 in the year of competition will be eligible to compete. The exception will be players who are unable to compete under the rules of BA, the NBL or WNBL;

3.1.3 The competition will run on a Saturday or Sunday. Where there is a written request by both competing Associations to schedule a game on a different day of the week, the Big V CEO will be authorised to consider and rule on the request. Permission will not be unreasonably withheld;
3.1.4 In Year 1 and 2, both men and women will compete in a 16-team competition, to be run in two conferences. This will consist of 8 DL teams and the top 8 State Youth Championship teams from 2012. Teams from D League and Youth League will be mixed within the conferences;

3.1.5 In Year 1 and 2, there will be a 22 game season, with each team playing two inconference games and one out-of-conference game;

3.1.6 In Year 1 and 2, the finals will be the best-of-one game for all finals. Team 1 from Conference 1 will play Team 4 from Conference 2 (and so on) to form a three-week finals series. This will be reviewed by Basketball Victoria 23 and Under Working Group at the end of Year 2;

3.1.7 At the end of Year 1 and again at the end of Year 2, the Basketball Victoria 23 and Under Working Group will meet to review the season and recommend changes for the following season that may not be foreseen at this stage. These interim reviews will take into consideration feedback from participants in addition to the views and observations of the working group. These reviews will over-ride the normal review by the Big V Competitions Sub-Committee for these two years only;

3.1.8 After Year 2, the Big V Competitions Sub-Committee will be responsible for decisions regarding the conduct of the competition, as it is for all levels of competition for the Big V. This committee would seek feedback and input from the competing Associations as part of this process;

3.1.9 The last Grand Final Game of the competition will be on the second weekend in August. In 2013 this will be on 10 / 11 August and 9 / 10 August in 2014. Games will be scheduled backwards from this date. The start date of the competition will take into consideration the ability of Australian players in the US College system to participate, providing this does not have other negative implications on the conduct of the competition; and

3.1.10 All other areas of the competition will be governed by the existing rules of the

Big V.

Competition planning for the new Victorian Youth Championship and its underlying divisions (Youth League 1 & 2 Men and Youth League 1 Women) are well under way, with draft structures due for release in the coming weeks.

This new competition is a significant step in further strengthening the sport we love, and ensuring Victorian athletes have a solid, streamlined transitional pathway from junior basketball into senior elite competition.