With plenty on the agenda, including the summer domestic competition, Junior Pirates competitions, the annual tournament, Victoria Country Under-12 Jamboree and the Country Basketball League senior men’s season, it’s all happening at Echuca Stadium.
The two biggest events heading into the summer are the jamboree, held from Saturday, September 20 to Tuesday, September 23, and the annual tournament from Friday, September 26 to Sunday, September 28, with thousands of junior players to converge on Echuca in the fortnight.
The summer domestic competition will start in early October and run until March with a break for the school holidays, with an estimated 550 to 600 players participating in grades ranging from under-12s to A-grade men.
“That’s usually our bumper season, where we get the most players playing over three nights a week, which is really exciting,” EMBA president Lisa Baker said.
“We are absolutely looking forward to it getting up and running — summer season is always a good one.”
“It's nice weather, it’s lighter at night, people want to come and play, and it’s the off-season for footy and netball, so we get many players who would like to stay fit, which is awesome.”
The senior men’s CBL team is gearing up for another blockbuster season from Sunday, October 5 to Saturday, December 13, with trials still ongoing.
While there is no Lady Pirates side scheduled to play this year, there is growing interest in the community, with commitment being the main issue.
The Junior Pirates sides, which range from under-12s to under-18s, have almost finished the selection process, with coaches having already been announced.
Training will begin in late August, with the first chance at game time aligning with EMBA’s annual tournament.
“We’ve got 18 teams so roughly 180 players for the Pirates, and we’ve had roughly 60 new players join the representative teams this season, which is very exciting,” Baker said.
“There’s a nice energy heading into the representative season, especially with the under-12 boys because we have four teams, which we haven’t had for a very long time.
“The calibre of players coming through is very exciting, we’ve got some real ripper little players and getting that development into them young is so important.
“They get an hour-and-a-half training every week and have plenty of game situations with tournaments. They’re going to improve out of sight in no time.
“It’s exciting to see so much interest and participation. It’s such a busy time of year, but everyone has been amazing and put their hands up to help out.”
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