it's only the old summer / grading season - so it may change for the main season in May

Are you one of those people who look for things to complain about?

I don't think so , but I will let others form a view on that .

It has been proven over a long period of time that U10 success and results have no bearing on future success.

A very sweeping statement , without any evidence my friend .how are you measuring success .
I travelled the junior escalator , as a Div1 spectator for 10 years or so , albeit some time ago .
Some of my observations from that era are as follows :
The good players in U10 Div 1 ( and the Teams),in the main , inevitably remain the good players and good Teams throughout their under-age groups . My example would be Sturt U10 B in the era of my experience . They won most premierships across their era . Do the names Oscar Foreman , Leith Marston , Ben Evans , Jacob Holmes ring any bells ? They all started in U10 as a strong U10 Div 1 Team and were the benchmark right across their junior era . The pecking order remained pretty constant amongst the clubs
Is that success .... certainly Sturt , in that era , was highly respected for its program .
If success equals Senior Flags ...... then maybe you don't have to worry about juniors at all , just have a deep pocket and rent some players for a time !
If Clubs such as South , North , Sturt , Norwood etc invest heavily in domestic U10 competitions as feeders for their ML u 10 Teams . Based on your logic , they are wasting money !


In any case, most players do not enter district basketball at U10 age groups. U12 and U14 are the key entry points.

I'm not sure of what evidence you have , or it's source , to substantiate that claim .
Again , it is not borne out from my experience , albeit dated . At the club I followed , my observation was that it was extremely difficult for a player , without district background , to be able to make it in to a good Div 1 underage Team , particularly at U12 and U14 level . Yes , there were 1 or 2 exceptions based on size or from the country .
In the era I saw , the Metro SAPSASA State Team ( Year 7 / U13 ( I think ) was solely comprised of players from the top 2/3 District U12 Teams ..... and they all started together in U10 Div 1..... didn't notice anyone popping in from a domestic competition .

U10 girls are 6-8 year olds just wanting to try basketball.Yes, even in Div 1.

Yet again , that does not match my current - day observations . I would argue that most girls playing Div 1 are 9 , with maybe the odd 8 yo warming the bench .

There are not a bunch of 7yo out there wanting to discuss future pathways with the club they are at.

Agree on this one , it's their parents who have the maturity , and foresight , to want their child to play for a club that is well structured , managed with great coaching staff and a good healthy environment !
Its expensive and time consuming to support kids playing ML basketball !
For the sort of investment that has to be made for a child to play ML are you arguing that parents don't consider which clubs have junior development programs to support to see their child reach their potential ? I guarantee that most involved parents out there are able to provide a run-down on the strengths and weaknesses of each club .
Not every kid can play Div 1 , but most kids aspire to and see being in the Div 1 Team as something to be proud of .

Why do some clubs have great reputations for junior development and others suck ?? If your points hold , then U10 ML is a complete waste of time .

i RETURN TO MY MAIN ISSUE : Why is BSA spruiking its great Female Pathway initiative on one hand , concurrent with actually REDUCING female participation in its Premier U10 g COMPETITION ?
:)

Really? U10.
I would be very interested to see how many U10 kids are still playing at U18/20s.
Foster a love for the game and give them every opportunity to learn and develop
appropriate skills. Pathway programs open up to those that are good enough.

I think you will find that some of the clubs chose to nominate a Div2 team rather than a Div1 team based on their view of the team's ability to compete - I would be very surprised if BSA rejected a nomination for an U10 Div1 team from the 4 clubs not in Div1

Yep Anon , I concur they are either 9 , or about to turn 9 ! if my club is the norm .
Loving your attempt at personal insults :) as your alternative to provide any substance in you comments .
Looking forward to your insightful comments on the other issues that you mentioned !

metro & district : your comment may well be on the money ??
However , if that is the case , wouldn't BSA be a bit worried ?

Go on Anon . ... can't wait for some more of your highly creative and original insults .They are always good to fall back on when you have an empty garage :)

Anon No2 : "Girls that play 2/ 3 years of u10s will have a huge advantage moving into 12s.
South have done very well over the past few years in this age group as their kids start young and are well coached.
This seems to happen year after year, same clubs not nominating d1 teams in 10s.
As someone mentioned, if you have a good Domestic comp then you should get good numbers and talent into your District team's at 10s."

Couldn't agree more . I think that's at the heart of what I have been saying .
BUT ...looks like you will join me in the abuse queue :)
I'm sure Anon 1 can hit back with some actual substance any minute .

Stoker, I understand your point.

My daughter is 9 and in Under 10. Most of her ML 1 & 2 teammates will turn 9 during this season and the following winter season. of course, she'll go up to Under 12 the next summer season.


Re the Female participation and pathways initiative, perhaps reassess in 18 months once the player levy has created the financial resources to support the necessary human resources to grow participation numbers across all age groups and representation by all clubs in each respective competition.

If there has been no improvement then BSA has some explaining to do.

Are you able to help your nearest club create a ML1 team/help the club lobby BSA to include a team in the competition?

"MOST players join district basketball after U10s." Anon
That may be the case , BUT they make up the numbers in the lower Divisions , they rarely make Div 1 .
Even in the best Div 1 U10 teams that I saw on the journey only 2/3 made it through to play ABA/Premier league , or whatever the current name is . Yes , occasionally a late grower made it to that level from a lower Division , but in my experience that was the exception .

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Stoker, I understand your point.

My daughter is 9 and in Under 10. Most of her ML 1 & 2 teammates will turn 9 during this season and the following winter season. of course, she'll go up to Under 12 the next summer season.


Re the Female participation and pathways initiative, perhaps reassess in 18 months once the player levy has created the financial resources to support the necessary human resources to grow participation numbers across all age groups and representation by all clubs in each respective competition.

If there has been no improvement then BSA has some explaining to do.

Are you able to help your nearest club create a ML1 team/help the club lobby BSA to include a team in the competition?

Appreciate your constructive and accurate comments . Let's hope the kids both play well if they meet :)

Anon No2 : "Girls that play 2/ 3 years of u10s will have a huge advantage moving into 12s.
South have done very well over the past few years in this age group as their kids start young and are well coached.
This seems to happen year after year, same clubs not nominating d1 teams in 10s.
As someone mentioned, if you have a good Domestic comp then you should get good numbers and talent into your District team's at 10s."

Couldn't agree more . I think that's at the heart of what I have been saying .
BUT ...looks like you will join me in the abuse queue :)
I'm sure Anon 1 can hit back with some actual substance any minute .

Anon 2 :
Over the past year , I have had the privilege of watching some of the South U10 ( G) Teams as part of my re-entry to the junior scene . They are a credit to the club and its development program . Amazingly well developed and coached for U10s .
I may be incorrect here , but I have enquired about their juniors success and I understand that they have a really well organised and strong domestic competition that underpins their U10 Div 1 (G ?) success .I was informed ( hopefully correctly ) that the kids for their ML teams are selected from the domestic ( dare I say it -- pathway ) competition .

I accept that larger numbers of kids may take up ML/ DL BASKETBALL AT u12/14 . My main area of discussion however has/is about the Div 1 Pathway . My observation ...many years ago , I admit , was that most U10 Div 1 kids remained in Div 1 across the Junior age groups ..... and then generally in their second year in the age group . There was some , but minimal , movement from lower Divisions to Div 1 and even rarer for a kid to hope from U 10Div1 ---U12 Div1 ---U14 Div 1 etc .
I am prepared to contemplate that it is different in the current era , but I think that is unlikely .
So , I concur with the point that you made viz : "The difference is those 10s with years of experience will already have sound basic skills by the time they start 12s, a big advantage over newcomers." Thus , I think that u12/14 pathway kids are potentially at a massive disadvantage , for the reasons you outlined , in achieving a HP pathway for their basketball .
So , if there is some merit in that logic , the main pathway for Girls in SA Basketball ( U10 Div 1 ) is effectively 40% narrower than it could/should be ......at a time when we need to be increasing the pathways for Girls . So , the current U 10 Girls , at the 4 teams without a Div1 Team , are effectively turned in to U12 starters . I think that is a massive career disadvantage for those girls .

looking at the number of teams I would say female participation is up - just not at all clubs, boys numbers are up a bit too

My experience is that there is considerable change to teams over U12-14. A) You can't reliably ID talent in 9 year olds, B) the talent pool trying out at U10 is tiny compared to u12-14 and C) kids develop at different rates.

While there is an advantage to entering the system early (it is definitely easier to stay in than break in), it does not fully overcome items A-C above. Talent wins out. If your daughter is genetically blessed and a truly talented player, she could traverse through the system playing in the top divisions. But to avoid disappointment you should also expect that better athletes will be selected ahead of her when they enter the system.

It is worse for boys than girls because of numbers. And expect another readjustment around the top of u16 as kids physically develop and height and athleticism become more important.

Basically, what I am saying is the important factors in creating a successful player are things like genetics, drive, nous and great fundamentals. Playing rep as a 9 year old is not important, which I suspect is why most states don’t even bother.

At least BSA is recognising that there is an issue with female numbers and is trying to develop programmes to hold players and introduce new players - time will tell if it is successful given Netball strength and AFL growth

Excellent response .
Have done , all sorted .
May I respectfully suggest that it is not a particularly good look when only 7 ( now up from 6 early last week) of the core 10 District clubs are able to field an adequate U 10 Div 1 team in the Premier Girls competition , for that age , in SA .
I accept that the new Policy seeks to redress the situation , but the unhealthy situation developed on SOMEONE'S watch .

how come some blogs in a blogroll do not have their most recent post listed and others do? How to change that?

SA Basketball's Commitment to Female Participation and Pathways
26 November, 2020

Basketball SA is proud to launch a female participation and pathways strategy. By 2025, Basketball SA will welcome, support and celebrate women and girls equally by driving inclusive opportunities to lead and participate as players, administrators, coaches and officials across communities and from grassroots through to high performance.

Source:BSA wbsite ( under News )

I got collection of 22000 songs, and i would like to create own internet radio and DJ as well. Do anyone know how to do this in my blog page(blogspot) ?.

LOL
Well , that underpins the point that I am making .
1 Something is wrong if the Premier entry point for Girls to the top level girls competition in SA does not provide a sufficient number of girls , of an adequate standard , to sustain 10 Div 1 Teams in 2021 .o
2 Great , someone seems to have noticed the problem and implemented a strategy/policy to address the problem .

3 That begs the question . Whose watch did it happen on , as surely a core BSA role is to provide leadership for basketball development in SA ?

Let's take the AFL as analogue. I would suggest that the AFL takes responsibility for the development , and long term of health of the game . Clubs play their part in the structure , but they don't have prime responsibility for the overall health of the Sport . I would think that the AFL steps in and supports individual clubs where they are floundering in order to keep the game healthy and growing .
Full circle : As at early last week 40 pc ( now 30 pc) of our core 10 basketball clubs felt they could not field an adequate U10 G Div 1 team . So , I will leave it to others to reach their conclusion about who is accountable for this state of affairs .
:)

We should be positive that BSA has recognised the issue of female participation - especially given the strength of Netball and huge growth in girl's footy. My understanding is that the levy is to fund specific programmes to (1) encourage initial participation at junior levels - that is U10-U14, (2) improve retention rates at U16 upwards where there is the big drop off and (3) align and work with the Adelaide Lightning to drive female basketball exposure. It is early days and they should be given this year to develop and implement specific programmes funded from the levy - it is easy to criticise but surely this is a positive initiative.

There is always a lot of obstacles to overcome, but I would be interested in benchmarking how SA fares against other states. I would expect Vic to have the most participation per 100,000 population, but if SA has a similar participation level as other states, then perhaps saturation level has been reached.

All current programs are equally available to girls and boys. What they are saying is they are going to create, fund and develop specific girls only programs which are by their own admission sexist.

Maybe less girls want to play basketball. That seems to be clear from observations around the country and around the world.

Agreed, it's a cash grab.

These are the participation numbers - Vic super strong in basketball as expected but SA the strongest Netball state in terms of participation %

National Ausplay Survey 2020 - Basketball Female Participation in a Club Sport
Age 5 to 8 9 to 11 12 to 14 15 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 12 to 17 15 to 24
SA * 13.3% 10.2% * * * 7.7% 4.2%
Vic 5.5% 17.4% 14.7% 16.0% 4.4% 1.9% 15.3% 7.0%
NSW * 4.0% 6.8% * 1.5% 1.3% 5.3% 1.9%
Q/land * 5.1% * * * * * *
WA * 9.0% 12.1% 7.5% * * 9.9% 3.0%
* - indicates statistically insignificant numbers

National Ausplay Survey 2020 - Netball Female Participation in a Club Sport
AGE 5 to 8 9 to 11 12 to 14 15 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 12 to 17 15 to 24
SA 13.1% 35.0% 37.8% 26.7% 16.2% 6.6% 32.8% 18.8%
Vic 9.4% 23.0% 32.5% 20.5% 8.3% 6.7% 27.3% 11.0%
NSW 9.7% 19.3% 23.0% 14.5% 8.9% 3.8% 19.2% 10.2%
Q/land 6.5% 19.5% 24.2% 9.2% 6.7% 4.6% 17.2% 7.3%
WA 10.3% 34.9% 22.1% 18.5% 7.4% 3.8% 20.4% 10.2%
* - indicates statistically insignificant numbers
Netball - SA is the by far strongest state in terms of participation rates for netball in "every" age group

I thought the formatting stayed when you posted :(

My brain hurts after looking at that...

The Ausplay survey is quite flawed, while may be considered the most accurate given official numbers are only kept for participants 16 and above.

Netball SA numbers have greatly decreased due to the impact of AFLW, basketball numbers have remained stagnant however. Netball numbers are high due to tradition and funding. They readily accept both of these as benefits for their sport.

"Anonymous
Yesterday

Stop the press! It looks like the u10 D1s are now down to 6 teams. What is going on."

Forestville came in to take the numbers to 7 Teams for Round 1
Then , in round 1 , it looks like Southern got belted by 50 + points and flew the white flag on continuing in Div 1 .

Disappointing .

A changing feast !
Only 6 teams listed for Div 1 U 10G yesterday .....today back to 7 .
Southern now listed as having a bye this week .
Hard to keep up with ?? :)