A Year of Firsts
Dear SPBA Members,
It has been just over a year since we set out to make major change and improvement at Southern Peninsula Basketball Association and we could not be more pleased with what our team and the Association has achieved and overcome in the face of adversity.
We wanted to give all members a recap of the last twelve months and what is coming up!
FACILITIES
This is the first year in at least the past ten years we have set funds aside for the improvement and expansion of our facilities.
This financial year the investment in expansion, capital improvement, and maintenance of our facilities will more than double than we ever have before at $278,220. This is including approximately:
- $128,444 in properly maintaining our venues
This is almost double the investment of previous years. - $90,766 in capital improvement provisions
The first time in the past ten years funds have been put aside for the improvement of our existing facilities. - $59,010 in facility development levy
Put aside from game fees.
Working with all levels of government we continue to work towards the realistic vision of the expansion of our venues.
We currently have a grant application lodged for a major expansion project through the Federal Government. We are working with the Mornington Peninsula Shire on their Indoor Sport Facility Capacity Project and their Sport & Recreation department and the Planning and Infrastructure department. We are also in regular communication with our state MP Chris Brayne and working with the Minister for Community Sport’s office.
RELATIONSHIPS
Our working relationships with Dromana College, Rosebud Secondary College, Dromana Primary and all other schools we work with have never been stronger.
In a first, the five Associations on the Peninsula have teamed up for the mutual benefit of each other in a working group.
We have brought basketball to the southern end of our region, with the first ever basketball games and programs run out of Sorrento Community Centre. No longer to be put in the “too hard” basket. Thanks to the support of the Centre and Sorrento Basketball Club, we are already seeing the community benefits of this endeavour.
Particularly on our mission of developing our presence in the inclusion area, including but not limited to All Abilities, Indigenous participation, LGBTQIA+ participation.
FINANCE
To date, we are pleased to have lasted through the pandemic without having to touch any of our long term savings funds.
Through a cautious approach in expenditure, we are fortunate to be in a stable position which a number of other Associations and sports do not have the luxury of.
This past year and moving forward is the first time we have budgeted to have no financial reliance on our tournament. To act with funds responsibly and directed towards the vision of the Association.
Unlike past years, we no longer will our Senior Representative run at a $120,000 loss. We have made adjustments in our business model including in the way we operate this program, already seeing savings of up to $40,000 in the first year while maintaining our standards.
We now operate as a business, a not-for-profit business which places a focus on reinvesting in the community like it never has before.
As you can see from the below comparison, the way we are now allocating time, money and resources, is now the way a community organisation should.
In doing this, we continue to maintain our status as a high performing club, producing high performing players and coaches.
COMMUNITY
This is the first year we have truly invested in the community outside of our normal reach of our domestic competitions. For too long our focus has been on ‘what can the community do for SPBA’, now it is, ‘what can SPBA do for the community’.
It was not long ago, we had our first ever All Abilities Program under way at Dromana Stadium. To say we were proud of this significant step was an understatement.
Rescheduled to be played in early 2022 sees our Big V Indigenous Round which will highlight the recent works of our Association’s Reconciliation Action Plan with the support of Civil Training Australia.
Earlier in the year saw our first ever Building an Inclusive Culture forum with a number of special guests including, Olivia Pollerd (ex SPBA player, now representing Australia), Bianca Vernon (SPBA Referee), Kelly Read (SPBA Coach), Mayor Despi O’Connor, Councilor Antonella Celi, Shire Sport & Recreation Officer Mark Stahel along with a number of other clubs. This evening was led by Jenny Todd who was an inspirational facilitator. This forum has and continues to form a basis for our decisions made at the SPBA.
We are also beginning to work with a number of other indoor sports in the region to increase indoor sport participation in our venues. We are in current talks with sport state governing bodies and local leagues.
HIGH PERFORMANCE
We continue to reach new heights in our High Performance Program. In 2021, four athletes represented Southern Peninsula in High Performance pathways, all of which developed through our pathways.
In an incredible feat for Southern Peninsula saw three of our own players invited to the National Performance Program, the highest number of athletes in the one year that developed through the Southern Peninsula pathway. Including one invited to the prestigious National Performance Camp at the Australian Institute of Sport.
We look forward to announcing our new High Performance Pathways Coach in the coming days.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
There has been a significant change management process occur over the past twelve months. Without this change, none of the above and what will happen in the future would have ever been possible.
We are extremely grateful for the support of our members. We are also grateful of Basketball Victoria in this change management process. Their understanding and support of our vision from not only a business point of view but from grassroots participation through to high performance has been invaluable.
Major changes from a business point of view include increasing our investment in community by 13% through a reallocation of resources – no longer will 62% of our resources be committed to the few and not the many.
Our budget for the 2021/22 financial year is the most sustainable of its kind with a major focus on community reinvestment.
Once again, we thank all of our members and the wider community in driving the change for positive growth of the Association and the community on the Mornington Peninsula.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back very soon!
Kind regards,
Ben White
General Manager
