Aussie
Years ago

Melbourne United v SEM Phoenix Junior participation?

I will be honest and admit I know very little about Victoria.

I am curious to know where the biggest junior participation is in Victoria?

Some say Melbourne and then daylight. Is Melbourne considered (in this topic) the CBD?

Which suburbs do South East Melbourne represent?

Is it correct to say that Melbourne United represent the CBD of Victoria?

SEM call themselves the "Heartland". Does that mean there are more kids playing basketball in the South East than in Melbourne itself?

Any info would be appreciated

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Aussie
Years ago

Just to add, I found this quote from Larry Kestelman:

"I'm not sure anyone around Australia could deny the fact that (South East Melbourne) is the Heartland of basketball. Just by the sheer number of people who play, the number of courts and the passion people have for the game of basketball in that region of Melbourne is second to nowhere else in Australia," he said.

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Anonymous
Years ago

I think you'll find Melbourne United are trying to reach the entire City, Suburbs and country areas. Just like Perth and Adelaide would. SE Melbourne are designed to focus in on the SE suburbs of Melbourne where basketball participation numbers, especially in juniors are significant. Also where most of the larger associations are based as well as the State Basketball Centre.

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Aussie
Years ago

I think you'll find Melbourne United are trying to reach the entire City, Suburbs and country areas. Just like Perth and Adelaide would. SE Melbourne are designed to focus in on the SE suburbs of Melbourne where basketball participation numbers, especially in juniors are significant. Also where most of the larger associations are based as well as the State Basketball Centre

Thanks for that.

So do you think there are more junior participants in Melbourne or South East Melbourne?

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Anonymous
Years ago

Just looked at the sbc expansion. Stadium will be 8000 seat.

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Anonymous
Years ago

The South East of Melbourne includes the biggest basketball associations in Melbourne - the ones that have been gifted multi court facilities.

There's pretty much a straight line through Nunawading, Knox and Kilsyth. You head further south and you get to Dandenong. You head further south and you hit Casey and Frankston.

These 6 associations are massive in their participation numbers. And there's smaller satellite associations - Blackburn / Hawthorn / Waverley that are not necessarily small either.

If you ask me what basketball in Melbourne is - that's what describe to you. And there's no comparison in the rest of the country.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Aussie SE Melbourne is Melbourne. The CBD is irrelevant as it's high business, singles and low residential. When people talk about Melbourne they mean the Urban area not just the CBD. As with every other State Capital City.

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Isaac
Years ago

For me, also not knowing Melbourne that well, it helped looking over maps when I last drove down through SEM and seeing the residential density and recognising club names I'd seen on Hoops over the years. Those SE clubs look to have significant catchments. By density, I don't mean Barcelona-style, but just built-up area.

Adelaide from Morphett Vale to Mawson Lakes is 34km as a straight measurement. In Melbourne, that goes from Frankston to St Kilda (short of Melbourne CBD). Melbourne stretches out in a few directions too; much less linear than Adelaide. Fair bit of it south and east - not sure why, but maybe prime farming land down that way.

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Anonymous
Years ago

When Phoenix say SE Melbourne is the heartland it is. Nothing compares in Australia. Look at the density of NBL1 teams in the Area. Can only exist with Junior basketball.

Inner Melbourne covers Tigers, Collingwood, Altona maybe Westgate. Smaller clubs other than tigers and suspect 90% of tigers players are from outside that region. All comes to population. Dandenong, Casey, Knox, Pakenham, Monash all would have population of 100,000+ people with probably more than the 2.3 average kids.

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Anonymous
Years ago

State government just announced another 22m to make a total of 130m to redevelop the state basketball centre to increase to 16 courts. Not many places in the country have more than 10. Knox and Dandenong will have 31 between them

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Anonymous
Years ago

https://www.knox.vic.gov.au/files/Plans/Final_Masterplan_-_Knox_Regional_Sports_Park.pdf

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Anonymous
Years ago

I think they should be making it 12,000 seat, plenty of space to do so.

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Anonymous
Years ago

South East Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne united are both NBL teams neither of whom have a junior Association.

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Luke
Years ago

went to a few phoenix games last season.
They were fond of the stat 25% of all registered basketballers in australia play in sem.

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Perthworld
Years ago

Weren't United (and possibly SEM) promoting local associations on gameday? I recall seeing some type of presentation with various local jerseys?

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Anonymous
Years ago

Melbourne United sponsored the VJBL

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Anonymous
Years ago

^^ Melbourne United sponsored the VJBL, not sure if they still do

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Anonymous
Years ago

Both of the NBL teams are independent from the junior associations. There is no financial link between junior championship basketball in Victoria and a NBL team other than potential customers. And sometimes sponsorship relationships.

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Perthworld
Years ago

Ah yes it was the VJBL sponsorship I was thinking of. Thanks.

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Kaizen
Years ago

SEM is certainly the heartland, with all the member teams mentioned above.

The story with Melb United changing names is that Melb Tigers do not have their own domestic clubs and recruited from all other associations to form their Rep program. This alienated them from other Associations and they were not the most popular club going around. When the Tigers were playing NBL and Magic, Titans, Giants, Dragons all came and went the Tigers eventually thought that it was time to get all those team less supporters on board and formed Melbourne United

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Melbourne United v SEM Phoenix Junior participation?

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