FAQ's

High School and Junior League competitions are played at the Ballina Indoor Sports Centre (BISC), the home of Ballina Breakers Basketball.

Tuesdays at the BISC
• U13 competitions from 4:00pm
• Junior Leagues from 6:30pm

All High School competitions are run as separate Girls and Boys competitions.

• Boys U13 Competition (summer season only)
• Boys U14 Competition (winter season only)
• Girls High School Competition (summer & winter)
• Boys U15 Competition (summer season only)
• Boys U16 competition (winter season only)
• Girls Junior League (invite only)
• Boys Junior League Div 1 (invite only) & Div 2 Competitions (summer & winter)

All players should register in their current school year. Some players may be invited to play out of age where appropriate.

Junior League Division 1 is designed for older youth players who are ready for a faster, more physical style of basketball. It is for players aged 16+ years with separate boys and girls competitions. 

Players are loaned a team shirt for the duration of the competition. Teams are capped at 8 players. Places will be offered to players currently not playing representative basketball only if spaces permit.

Junior League Division 2 is designed for all players 16+ years. Players may nominate as a team or as a smaller group of players. Players are loaned a team shirt for the duration of the competition.

Junior Leagues provide a clear transition pathway into:

• Senior Women’s competitions (female players)
• Senior Men’s Division 1 or 2 competitions (male players)
• Representative programs such as Sunshine Conference Mens and Womens, NJL and NEJL U18/U16 teams and Basketball NSW Pathways

Played Tuesdays from 6:30pm.

Team shirts are provided on a free-to-loan basis for the term. Players may take them home, wash them and wear them each week. Shirts must be returned in good condition at the end of the season. A $50 replacement fee applies if a shirt is lost or damaged. Players should wear comfortable shorts with no pockets, any joggers (they don't need basketball boots to start no matter what they say!) and bring a drink bottle.

Maybe depending on the age group. When registering, a Play with Friend option is available. Players are encouraged to nominate a few friends they would be comfortable learning and playing with.

New teams are formed each season. Players are allocated to a team that has a similar skill level and/or is of the same age. If players have nominated friends that are a higher skill level (ie play rep - it may not be possible to allocate them to their friends team if they are not of a similar ability). It doesn’t take long to make friends — we aren’t known as the friendly club for no reason!

Please email admin@ballinabasketball.com.au. We cannot guarantee friends can play together in high school comps.

Yes. Players aged 16 and above in 2026 may enter whole teams into Junior League only.

Your team will be on trial for the first four weeks of competition and may be moved divisions during or after this time. To enter an entire team, please email team names to admin@ballinabasketball.com.au. Once a minimum of 7 players have registered, your team will be grouped together and provided with team shirts on loan for the season.

Teams must not forfeit for the entire season. Players may be borrowed from Div 2 or U15 on weeks were players are away and this must be managed by your team. Any forfeits throughout the season and your team will not be able to re-register as a team for the following season.

No. It can feel like a steep learning curve at first, but learning to play builds skills and confidence quickly. Our coaches will support, encourage and guide your child — it doesn’t take long to pick up the basics. We tend to put new players in fewer numbers on teams so they can pick up skills from their team mates. We discourage teams of new players registering as one team, unless they have a coach willing to run team training at an additional time on an outdoor court during the week.

Winter Competition Terms 2 & 3: Registrations open March

Summer Competition Terms 4 & 1: Registrations now open

Registrations close once maximum numbers are reached. We try to make extra teams, however we have limited court space available so this is not always possible. Please do not forget to register!

Yes. We are now a registered provider.

Yes — but there are a few steps. You must be a member before taking the court. To trial, you’ll need to complete the paperwork and pay a non-refundable $10 fee. This allows your child to play for up to two weeks only.

Your child will be placed on a team with a space available - they will not be able to choose their team. To check availability, please email admin@ballinabasketball.com.au before attending.

Spaces on teams will not be held for trial players. Teams are always filled with registered players first, on a first come first play basis.

Ballina basketball is proud to provide a safe space for teenagers to enjoy the company of their friends and play basketball. We cannot be responsible for your teen remaining onsite or for their safety once they leave the stadium foyer.

In case of accident or emergency, all teenagers should have an emergency contact number in their phone. Please be aware under no circumstance can our staff or volunteers accompany any player or member in an ambulance or take them to hospital in the case of any serious accident or injury.

Parents who leave their children unsupervised at the stadium do so at their own risk and should have a previously discussed emergency plan in place so your teen is self-sufficient in case of an accident or emergency.

As much as they will never admit it, teenagers do appreciate parents watching them play. Everyone enjoys having someone in the stands cheering them on. We strongly encourage parent involvement - scorebench, court control, refereeing, coaching, helping at the front desk or canteen - and just being a positive presence for all of our kids.

It takes a village to raise a child is a saying for a reason!

For one season (2 school terms) total cost is $260 which includes $95 six month membership + $165 competition fee.

Purchasing a 12 month membership for $140 initially, means the second season will cost just $165. If your child intends to play basketball for the entire year it is more cost efficient to purchase a 12 month membership. Payments can be made in full up-front, by instalments or through a payment plan.

The membership fee covers insurance costs. Players cannot take the court unless they are insured.

The annual membership fee consists of three parts:

• $5.50 Basketball Australia Game Development Levy (an increase from $4.40 last year)
• $15–$65 Basketball NSW fee (BNSW Membership Explained)
• $30–$60 contribution to Ballina Basketball to support administration, referee coordination and year-round running costs. This fee has increased by $10 for 2026.

If your child is trying basketball for the first time or only playing one season (for example, basketball in summer and soccer in winter), the 6-month membership is ideal.

If your child plays representative basketball, a 12-month membership is recommended. This saves $16.50–$21.50 plus additional online payment fees. Please note that membership renewals are not managed by Ballina Basketball — if your child is not registered, their name will not appear in the scoring system and they cannot play.

The competition fee covers court hire through Ballina Shire Council, scoreboard use, referee payments, loan singlets, game and warm-up basketballs, bench and scoring equipment, championship medals and MVP awards. We work hard to keep costs as low as possible for our basketball family.

High school comps run for 8+ weeks of the school term depending on the term. Check out our calendar to see when games are on. We start playing when government school students return to school (we don't play on pupil-free days). We may not play some weeks to allow representative trials to take place.