The BMBA have enjoyed participating successfully in two tournaments so far in 2024 where we have had three teams make their competition Grand Finals. In particular, our U12 squad has been outstanding making two consecutive Grand Finals despite being undermanned and relying on fill-in players who were not from within the BMBA program just to be able to play. 

This time we are taking eight boys from our Under 12 boys program, who have all been training together and will go into this tournament understanding the offensive and defensive structures that we will be running.

Hope fully having adequate player numbers and having the boys within the squad able to play within established structures will see the boys go one step better at this tournament.

To make things even more interesting we will be hitting the road for this tournament by staying and playing at Ballarat. Tournaments where teams travel are one of the greatest ways for teams to bond. When players, parents and coaches stay together, share meals and share transport they all get to know each other on a much deeper basis. On the whole, it almost always turns out to be a great experience for everybody involved and that is what we are expecting this time with the players and families participating in this tournament.

We have played this tournament twice before, winning one Grand Final and losing another in a tight contest, so our hopes are high to repeat that effort. Winning or losing, however, is not the major aim of a tournament. Using the tournament to introduce the boys to new concepts and having them run them in live match situations is an invaluable learning experience for the team and the boys within it to advance their knowledge and standards.

Many teams have found these tournaments to be a great launching pad into a higher level of competition. We hope to achieve all these things in Ballarat. 

Finally, tournaments are a great way to get to see parts of Victoria and Australia you wouldn’t otherwise see. Ballarat is a beautiful regional city with lots of things to see and do, our boys and their families are in for a great weekend.

LET’S GO TEMPLAR WARRIORS!