I think the whole import process needs to be reviewed by all stakeholders including BA and the Immigration Dept.

Can see how incompetence at BA would be startling news.

"The Migration Review Tribunal found employees at Basketball Australia forced foreign players and basketball clubs to process visa applications through the national basketball authority.

However, according to tribunal member Filip Gelev, none of the employees providing immigration assistance to the potential Bulleen player had proper qualifications.

The maximum penalty for a person found to be providing unauthorised immigration assistance is two years' jail."

BA admin demanding that associations use BA staff to do tasks that the BA staff had no training to do !!!??? How unusual


"A Basketball Australia spokeswoman, who declined to be named, said the organisation would "continue to work through the policy". "

LOL or Cry - hard to do both at the same time.

I wonder why BA insist on processing the visas. Is there some sort of monetary return to BA or are the staff just trying to be control freaks? Does their input delay the process? What sort of credentials are required by person/s processing visa applications? So many questions - un-named BA staff member didn't really provide any answers.

I've been reading a bit about work visas lately (for my own benefit) and a common occurrence is the company you wish to work for will process their sections of the visa for you. The inference is they do this because they have their own legal/HR team (or they outsource it) who understand the process and would rather it done properly than have to hold someone's hand through the process time after time. That makes sense.

It seems BA have decided to implement the same system without bothering to have a qualified/competent person in charge of the process. That doesn't make sense.

This is just more of the same old crap.

some time ago ( 10+ years) , BA staff quietly attempted to gain both control and veto over the acceptance of any US college scholarship by an Australian player by virtue ( and extension ) of their control and processing of international clearances. They were concerned about the "loss" of players to the US system.

Was strongly opposed by some coaches once they became aware ( a bare week before the meeting !!) of the proposal going to the then board .

Yet one more action initiated by a single person still sucking down a hugely undeserved (IMHO) salary at a high level in basketball in this country.

Very Old,

That sounds like a rumour to me, rather than something with basis. Players going to College don't need a clearance and if they did it would happen through FIBA, not through BA.

bizarre story I reckon!

All FIBA clearances need to go through the Nationals Body, ie BA.

BA were very close to making every effort to stop players going to college as they were planning on having a National U23 competition below the NBL teams.

All fell in a hole.

You are correct Rhea. Where a clearance is required the national body plays a part, but FIBA approve it. But, you don't need a clearance to go to College. So BA have no part to play and could not use clearances to stop a player going to College.

as Rhea said "BA were very close to making every effort to stop players going to college"

the current "educational Player tracking system" of BA , is the extremely watered down version of what was PROPOSED to be implemented .

The fact that then ( as now) no FIBA clearance was required to go from Aus to USA college ball was not only seen by those who proposed it - as simply a problem to be overcome, it was a situation that also emphasised their perceived NEED for BA to gain control over the unrestricted flow of junior players.

I had players going to college who were going to be caught up in this - if it got up - which it didn't. all water under the bridge now.

I simply don't believe anyone at BA would have been even that stupid to believe they could introduce a regime to prevent players going to College or even control it in any way, using clearances or whatever. Look how hard they had to fight to get the eligibility rules relaxed.

They make no secret of what they prefer for certain athletes, and so they should. They are pretty open about College not being a good option for elite female basketballers.

As for a U23 league, that could have only "stopped" players going to College if it afforded similar opportunities here to what it does there.

This sounds like a conspiracy theory to me very old!