Parents are really important in basketball. Being positive and encouraging at games makes a huge difference for the kids and their enjoyment of the game. Your role is to watch and support the team – so please don’t yell at the referees or the other team.
As part of a basketball team, your kids are also learning valuable life skills such as responsibility, respect and teamwork. Simple things such as getting your child to trainings and games on time, letting people know if you can’t make a game/training, helping out with duty and being supportive of everyone involved in the game reinforce these positive messages.
Our club is run by volunteers and the more “hands on deck”, the easier our workload and the better our Club. It’s also a great way to meet other parents and become part of the basketball community. If you are interested in helping out, we’d love to hear from you – just contact us at info@southerncrossbasketball.net
All parents are required to help out with “bench duty” on a roster system. The bench times the game, scores the match, controls the possession arrow and lets the referee know when teams need a sub. It can be a bit daunting at first but it is a great way to learn about the game, meet other parents and to get involved in your child’s sport.
With a bit of on the job training, you’ll pick up bench duty pretty quickly but if you are interested in learning more, BACT provides a lot of resources to help parents including regular 2 hours courses and an online introductory video (link to BACT score table). We highly recommend this if your child is playing at the rep or JPL level.
You might also find the following scoring “cheat sheet” useful
If you have some basketball playing experience, please let us know as we are always looking for coaches and can provide plenty of training and support. No coaching experience necessary just a love of basketball! If you have coached other sports or have any teaching experience, we’d also love to hear from you. It’s surprising how transferrable those skills are to basketball. Please contact us at info@southerncrossbasketball.net
The team manager assists the coach by drawing up the bench duty roster, letting the team know their game details and dealing with issues as they arise at games or training. It’s not an onerous role and a great way to help the coach and meet the other parents.
The Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) legislation requires all coaches and managers 16 years and over to obtain a WWVP card through Access Canberra. Please contact our info line info@southerncrossbasketball.net to help guide you through the process. The initial application is simple and done on-line but you will need to go into Access Canberra with your identity documents to complete the process. From there, it should take around 3-4 weeks to receive your card.
There is no registration costs for volunteer coaches or managers. However, you must carry your WWVP card at all times while engaged in a regulated activity (coaching or managing). There are serious fines for failure to have a card or not being able to produce one when asked (fines up to $7,000 and/or 2 years imprisonment can apply).
The Club is also obligated to maintain records of WWVP cards. For that reason, please send a photo of your WWVP card (front and back) to info@southerncrossbasketball.net.
