Kempsey Basketball Association plans for potential local competition

But the Kempsey Basketball Association is still taking expressions of interest even though the new season is due to start up on Monday October 23

"We've got a few spots on each team," the Association's junior development officer and head coach Meghan Kemp said.

"And certainly if the Kempsey competition starts up."

Ms Kemp who grew up in Macleay Valley and returned from Sydney two years ago, has been helping grow basketball membership in Kempsey.

She has a background of working and volunteering in basketball having coached various levels in Sydney.

Since she arrived to the Kempsey Basketball Association, membership has grown from a couple of kids playing after the COVID-19 pandemic to over 70 registered members.

But she credits the Association president Evelyn Jacobs for keeping basketball in the Macleay Valley during difficult times.

"She's done an absolutely amazing job," Ms Kemp said.

"Without her, there is no way basketball would have survived COVID-19 or any of the other things that have happened recently."

Kempsey Basketball Association currently enters teams in the Port Macquarie Basketball local competitions for both juniors and seniors but Ms Kemp wants to set up a Kempsey based competition again which hasn't run in the area for a number of years.

It seems like a slam dunk idea but infrastructure needs to be in place before Ms Kemp can jump into action.

"I want to develop here because there's a lot of talent in our area," Ms Kemp said.

"There's massive amounts of talent but there's not the kind of facilities or staff to support it."

Kempsey teams have been travelling to Port Macquarie to get a chance to compete on the courts but Ms Kemp has been in the process of setting up a new junior competition to be played over Summer 2023/24.

Ms Kemp said there was a real need for extra facilities and coaches as interest in the sport expands.

"There's a whole lot of kids who are just giving up their other sport to focus on basketball," Ms Kemp said.

"It's the fastest growing sport in the region by far.

"I'm not just talking about Kempsey- I'm talking about the Mid North Coast as a whole."

But if the Kempsey competition doesn't go ahead, Macleay Valley players still have a chance to try out for representative teams.

"We'll be having rep trails at the beginning of November," Ms Kemp said.

"I think we'll have more than just one rep team....we'll definitely go for a minimum of one to four."

Players interested in signing up for this year competition can reach out via the Kempsey Basketball Association's website.

IN OTHER NEWS: