Today a new chapter for Indoor Sports in Ballarat and the Western Region begins as our occupancy of the Ballarat Sports Events Centre (B.SEC) becomes a reality.
Our exciting move into B.SEC will contribute significant benefits to all our members as will facility upgrades to the Mars Minerdome that are planned for later this year.
These benefits include:
- 10.10pm game times being permanently removed from the competition schedule
- No regular junior Saturday competition before 9am and no later than 5pm
- A home training base for our junior and senior elite teams
- Clubs will have increased access to a range of improved courts across Ballarat to meet their training needs as our elite teams move into B.SEC
- Improved Sports Club amenities for members with better facilities for adaptive sports including our wheelchair program
- Operating from two key venues will see a reduction in the time parents spend travelling between venues for games and training
- Greater opportunities to add new development programs targeted at girls and women’s sport at B.SEC
We are sure that you will enjoy your new home and that the ability to focus most of our operations on these two quality venues will deliver you an experience unsurpassed in Australia.
Every year, team sheet fees and match ticket fees are adjusted for each Championship season to allow for CPI / annual cost adjustment increases that are incurred whilst conducting the competitions and programs at Basketball Ballarat.
This allows us to meet current commitments based on modelling for competition equipment, trophies and IT equipment and is currently based on the existing 7 court model. This will continue in the future with the next increase due in April 2020.
The new two venue structure along with venue upgrades and improvements mean that Basketball Ballarat will:
- Need to finance a Sport Recreation Victoria loan of $780,000 to meet facility upgrade costs
- Supply additional and upgraded IT service & equipment at B.SEC to meet the needs of the 6 new courts
- Employ a dedicated receptionist at B.SEC to allow the sports competition staff to focus solely on their own areas of operation which will ultimately improve services to our members. This focus will be specifically at building our senior competition base, women’s programs and social media focus on local competitions.
- Increase the number of Competition Court Supervisors over some competition times
- Fund additional costs for a Vectron Point of Sale fit-out, in addition to upgraded IT and furniture requirements for staff at B.SEC.
This equates to a total spend of $100,000 (cash and kind) over the next 12 to 18 months along with ongoing additional staffing costs.
To meet these outlined costs Basketball Ballarat will be introducing a minimal Facility Contribution per member in addition to the annual CPI increase. This Contribution will apply across all sports and hirers using either venue.
From October 2019 all weekly team sheet, match ticket and court hire fees will be increased by a Facilities Contribution averaging .44 cents per player per week or $15.40 per year.
For junior players this additional cost of $15.40 per annum will be offset by the reduction in the annual BA/BV junior fee from 2020 of $14 per annum meaning a real extra cost of $1.40.
This is the only contribution our members and hirers have been asked to make directly to the $29.2M B.SEC, with most building costs sourced from local Council and State & Federal Government.
Peter Eddy
CEO
15 July 2019