Basketball Australia is pleased to announce that for the first time ever, the Under-14 Club Championships will be hosted at the same event with Newcastle and Maitland taking over duties in 2016 from September 26- October 1.
As the birthplace of the National Basketball League, Newcastle has a long and distinguished history with the sport and last hosted the Under-14's Boys Club Championships in 1990.
Maitland has hosted a range of National Schools Tournament, NSW ABA/State League Finals and Australian Under-20 Championships while last hosting the Girls Club Championships in 2002.
With local heroes such as Suzy Batkovic, Jenni Screen, Terry Charlton, Ben Melmeth and Scott McGregor all hailing from the region, Newcastle Basketball General Manager Neil Goffet is excited to be putting the town back on the sporting map.
"It is a fantastic result not just for the promotion of basketball in Newcastle and Maitland but also for tourism, local councils, small businesses and the sporting community in general," Goffet said.
"This is the result of a lot of hard work over the last couple of years to build the association back to where it can secure events like this now and in the future.”
Maitland Basketball General Manager Amy McGregor echoed the sentiments.
"It is very exciting to have both the girls and the boys in the same region for the first time and it will be a great promotion for basketball and the tourism industry," she said.
"We hope to get great support from all the local councils in the Hunter Region to make this the best club championships ever."
The last time the tournament was held in Newcastle, the Newcastle Hunters were victorious in the Boy's Championship and they will be looking for a repeat effort in 2016 while the Norths Bears won the Girl's Grand Final in 2014, bringing the Championship to New South Wales for the first time in its 34-year history.
