A NEW basketball club is set to make waves in the Redlands, addressing a pressing need for more opportunities for the sport in the region.
The newly formed South Bay Dolphins Basketball Club has a mission to foster a vibrant and inclusive environment that promotes basketball in the southern Redlands suburbs.
Vice president Aaron Shaw said the inspiration behind the creation of the club stemmed from the need for RedCity Roar to introduce an expansion club.
He said families had been facing long waiting lists for their children to play basketball due to a shortage of available teams.
“There simply weren’t enough teams to accommodate the increasing demand,” Mr Shaw said. “We also wanted to introduce a club that would accommodate families from the southern suburbs of the Redlands LGA, which is currently experiencing rapid growth.”
The club’s vision is centred around developing young athletes, fostering lifelong friendships, and cultivating a strong family culture within the community.
For its inaugural season, the South Bay Dolphins are preparing to enter seven or eight teams into the RedCity Roar competitions.
The club will cater to age groups from Under 10s up to Under 18s, with plans for multiple teams in some divisions.
“One of our long-term goals is for us to be able to field at least one team in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions in each age group,” Mr Shaw said. “We also what to develop young Dolphins players that will go on and represent RedCity Roar in their representative levels.”
The club’s teams will train at Victoria Point State High School and home games will be played at Redlands PCYC and the Paul Bancroft Centre at Cleveland District State High School.
One significant challenge the club faces is recruiting female players.
“Unfortunately, as it stands to accommodate the few girls that we have had sign up, we will most likely need to have our teams mixed with both boys and girls in our younger age groups like Under 10s and Under 12s,” Mr Shaw said.
“We would love more girls to sign up and play for us, so if there are any families with girls who are wanting to give basketball a try, please reach out to us on Facebook at South Bay Dolphins Basketball.”
