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HIGHLIGHTING THIS MONTH .....

'Playing In The Shadows'

A film about Midnight Basketball screened
on ABC on 16 October. It was also
selected for the 2008 Sydney Film Festival.
About a group of players from Midnight
Basketball in Woolloomooloo in Sydney,
it was produced by Marco Ianniello &
Sascha Ettinger Epstein and focuses on
some of the players along with coach and
workshop facilitator, Bassi, who decided
after the Woolloomooloo Midnight
Basketball tournament, to setup a game 
against arch rivals Redfern, held on the
Grand Final night of the Redfern Midnight
Basketball tournament. While not showing
the Midnight Basketball program, it
nevertheless captures beautifully the
spirit of the community and participants.

 

From the ABC website:



An after-dark basketball competition
targeting young people living in public
housing across Sydney is about to take
the kids of Woolloomoolloo by storm.
Run by the dedicated coach Bassi, an
ex-pro basketballer with extensive
experience working with difficult kids,
this basketball squad is far more than
just a sporting event. For the players in
the team - 9-year-old Celine, 11-year-
old Jaidyn, six-foot-three Jerry and 15-
year-old Ainsley - it is a chance to show
what they are made of and to prove
that they don't fit the commonly held
stereotype about kids from Woolloo-
moolloo. Each one faces challenges
but they all have a desire to win.

Celine's Mum died on her sixth birthday
and her Dad has only one leg, but she's
happy living with her many sisters and
brothers in the close-knit Woolloomooloo
neighbourhood. Eleven-year-old Jaidyn
has been going off the rails recently,
getting in trouble at school and with the
police, but his Mum is sure he'll come
through. Six-foot-three Jerry has a
disability and is often teased, but he
loves being involved with the community.
And 15-year-old Ainsley is ambitious and
athletic, inspired and motivated by his
Dad to achieve entrance to university.

Playing in the Shadows is an
observational documentary which follows
the local kids and their team, The
Woolloomooloo All Stars, as they train
towards a climactic final showdown against
their geographic rivals, the youth from the
neighbouring housing estate in Redfern.

Cheer on the kids as they struggle to
pursue their aspirations while avoiding the
dangers and disadvantages of growing up
in this little forgotten pocket of public housing.

Playing In The Shadows

WELCOME TO MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA

Midnight Basketball is a diversionary programme for “at risk” youth by getting them into a basketball stadium on Saturday nights when they are most at risk of harm, including self-harm, or anti-social behaviour and when other community services are not available. 

Australia’s first Midnight Basketball program was launched in the Redfern / Waterloo area in February 2006 with great success. Midnight Basketball is open to all local youth, aged 12 to 18 years.  During the tournament season, matches are played on a Saturday night between 7.30pm and Midnight. 

 

THE PROGRAM

Midnight Basketball runs in selected communities for 8 weeks per tournament with up to 2 tournaments a year. Night includes:

Volunteer Briefing:  The Tournament Manager briefs all volunteers and youth workers, professional referees, security, police, bus
drivers, and many more – typically around 15 volunteers per night.

Dinner: In order to stay focussed and energetic for the night ahead, players arrive at 7:30pm and are fed a nutritious meal.

Workshop: In keeping with our motto “No Workshop, No Jump Shot”, players must attend the workshop in order to participate in the basketball competition. Building on essential life skills, these compulsory life-skills workshops deal with real and relevant issues and can include:

  • Health – nutrition, substance, emotional and physical abuse including self-harm, domestic violence and sexual health
  • Decision Making & Problem Solving Skills
  • Making Positive Choices
  • Financial Literacy
  • Conflict Resolution & Communication Skills
  • Self Esteem & Confidence
  • Impulse & Anger Control
  • Getting a Job

Basketball: With the workshop complete - the basketball competition begins with players participating in at least 3 matches of basketball per night. Basketball is a crucial element to the success of the program due to its unique qualities as a team sport. It provides an opportunity to build leadership skills, encourages team work and improves fitness and focus.

Midnight Bus Home - Safely Home: Finally, at the end of the night, a bus takes the players safely home (to the front door).

 

For current tournaments see News. 

ENROL AS A PLAYER OR VOLUNTEER IN A TOURNAMENT

Registration is open to all local 12 to 18 year olds  and costs nothing to enter.  If you are interested in either playing or volunteering, please email your local tournament on the email addresses above and ask for a registration form.

For information about other tournament locations, please contact the National Tournament Manager Sue Hogan:  webresponse1@midnightbasketball.org.au

 

MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL IN YOUR COMMUNITY

If you’d like to see Midnight Basketball in your community, please email us and we will send you a Midnight Basketball Community Pack. (Email Sue Hogan: webresponse1@midnightbasketball.org.au)