Photos courtesy of B.Rad Sports Photography.
A new basketball entity was created towards the end of 2019 by a handful of people from the basketball community based at Redlands PCYC. The RedCity Roar Basketball Association Inc – a not-for-profit incorporated association – began its mission to “grow the game in Redland City and build a pathway from beginners to semi-professionals”.
A handover of basketball activities from the Redlands PCYC saw RedCity Roar become active on September 23, 2019. The club inherited about 400 members in both junior and senior competitions. Included were junior and senior representative programs and a great introductory program called CUBs for four to seven-year-olds, formerly known as Biddyball.
A structure was implemented which resulted in four foundation clubs in Bayside Basketball (Cleveland DSHS, Bayview SS), Capalaba Wildcats (Redlands PCYC), Wellington Point Kings (Redlands College) and Alex Hills Raiders (Alexandra Hills SHS).
The impact of the clubs was immediate, with memberships surging in the first season of 2020, and despite the Covid break, another three clubs soon formed – Hornets, Crusaders and Faith, each servicing new locations. They bolstered membership after the lockdown.
At the same time, COVID-19 unexpectedly created an opportunity for RedCity Roar to compete in QSL, the only senior representative competition in Australia at that time. This brought the highest level of basketball to the Redlands Coast and is arguably the best venue in the state at the Cleveland DSHS’s Paul Bancroft Centre.
After a successful 2020 season, the association was offered an opportunity by Basketball Queensland to join the highest level available, the NBL1 North conference of a national competition.
Within 12 months, RedCity Roar membership exploded, and a pathway was in place for all participants of the game to excel.
For all the success, however, there have been major challenges. Access to facilities to accommodate its now eight clubs and 1800 members has become an ongoing problem. Building the financial resources to service the needs of members has current human resources stretched to the limit. The growth has fuelled a voracious demand for more coaches, referees and facilities.
Volunteers in the clubs and within the association have created a great community story and set the scene for the association’s next mission: “To find a home for our growing family and develop processes and resources to better service the basketball community of Redlands.”
