Tara Murray
Westgate’s under-12 boys 1 team has made history in the Victorian Junior Basketball League this season.
The side is the club’s first team to qualify for the Victorian Championship [VC] division, the top division in each of the age groups.
Just 20 teams from across the state in each age group are selected in the VC division.
Club vice-president Sarah Simpson said this was something they had been chipping away at. She said it was pretty exciting to achieve this.
“We’re a relatively small club and haven’t been around for many years,” she said.
“We’re the only side in the north-west that has made it in that division. The likes of Werribee, Keilor, Broadmeadows and Altona don’t have a team in that division, it’s a big achievement.
“It’s something we’ve been working towards.”
The club’s under-12 boys team was in VJBL division 1 last season, having been in division 2 the season before.
Simpson said the boys had put in some strong performances to get where they are.
“We have beaten some bigger clubs by some fairly large margins,” she said.
“We’re excited to see them do well and they’re not just there to make up the numbers.”
The club will have 21 sides compete in the VBJL competition from under-12s to under-20s.
Simpson said they’ve come a long way in a short period of time.
“We’ve got an article from eight years ago,” she said. “We started with one team and we have grown.
“We have so many players in our domestic competition, we’re as big as Altona now.”
The club calls RecWest in Braybrook home. The competition attracts players from all over Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong, while some players are coming from Brimbank and Wyndham.
Having grown so rapidly in a short period of time, Westgate is keen to continue the growth of the program.
Simpson said the next step is providing a way for the players to continue at the club once they reach seniors. She said a shortage of court space could hinder the growth though.
“Playing Big V is in the strategic plan for the next three years,” she said.
“We’ve got players who have been playing for eight years, but have nowhere to go once they finish in under-18s and under-20s.
“We want the pathway for the players to stay at the club and we’re looking to support that. Big V is the aim in the next two to three years.”
