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 at the end of each term. A $50 replacement fee applies if a shirt is lost or damaged beyond repair. Players should wear comfortable shorts, joggers and bring a drink bottle — basketball is thirsty work!

Yes. 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 in Term 4 each year. There may be some player movement in Term 1 and fewer changes in Term 2. If joining as a new player in Term 2 or Term 3, your child will need to join a team with a space available as there is limited room for changes. 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 with your child’s name and the names of a few friends they would prefer to play with. We do our absolute best to place players with friends.

New teams are formed in Term 4 each year, as Year 6 players move into the 6–7 competition. We aim to keep teams together as much as possible for the following year.

Some player movement may occur to balance skill levels between teams. We are still refining this process! If your child may need to change teams, you will be contacted by email.

No. It can feel like a steep learning curve at first, but learning to play at a young age 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.

Term 1: Now open

Term 2: Registrations open 23/02/2026

Term 3: Registrations open 27/05/2026

Term 4: Registrations open 26/08/2026

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!

Not yet. We are currently working through the process to become a registered provider. Please watch this space for updates.

Yes — but there are a few steps. Your child 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.

Your child will be placed on a team with a space available. To check availability, please email admin@ballinabasketball.com.au before attending. Please don’t arrive at the courts without emailing first, unless your child is happy to watch from the sidelines.

Your child must have a known adult at the courts who can be responsible for them in case of injury or emergency.

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.

Both primary comps (boys and girls) run for 8+ weeks of the school term depending on the term. Check out our calendar to see when games are on.

Competitions align with school terms and begin when public schools return to school. Some weeks may be missed due to representative trials, finals preparation or weeks where some schools break early for holidays.

We’d love to run more teams, but at the moment there’s no court space available early enough at the BISC for our youngest players. We’ve been trying for years to secure extra 4–6pm weekday times without success. You can help by lobbying your local council member to prioritise children’s sport during these key hours, especially for sports without outdoor alternatives.

We’re very grateful to Southern Cross Primary School for hosting us over decades, but access there is now limited too.

Miniball is the fun-sized version of the primary competition 🙂 The court feels bigger, the hoop higher and opponents more skilled, so it can take time to adjust. Remind your ex-miniballer how far they’ve come — with coach support, they’ll find their feet in no time.

In Term 4, we run a 6–7 competition for all Year 6 players to experience high school basketball while still playing against players their own age.

Players in our U14 Breakers representative teams may be offered the opportunity to play in the high school competition in additional to or instead of the primary school competition.

This often means your child is still learning court positioning. Encourage them to move into open space, get in front of the ball and be within passing distance.

They also need to lose their defender — if they are being closely marked, it’s difficult for teammates to pass to them. Moving without the ball is key to getting the ball in your hands.