CBBA Wraps Up a Massive Weekend at the 2025 Basketball NSW Conference
28–30 November 2025 – Crowne Plaza Terrigal
The 2025 Basketball NSW State Conference brought together associations, administrators, coaches, referees, and leaders from across NSW to connect, learn, and map out the future of the sport. Held at the Crowne Plaza Terrigal, the three-day event provided a valuable opportunity for the basketball community to reflect on 2025 and prepare for the next cycle of growth.
A New Strategic Direction for Basketball
Throughout the weekend, Basketball NSW formally closed out the final reporting cycle of their previous strategic plan and unveiled their 2026–2028 Strategic Plan, outlining new priorities for participation, workforce development, infrastructure, and system alignment.
Basketball Australia also presented their long-term “Vision 2040” Strategic Plan, setting a national roadmap for where the sport is heading over the next 15 years.
Key System Updates Coming Soon
Across multiple sessions, associations were briefed on major updates that will roll out over the coming weeks. These include:
Changes to membership structures & options
Updates and improvements to Basketball Connect
Enhanced user experience pathways
Tweaks to participation and development pathways statewide
Several new initiatives designed to streamline and strengthen the basketball ecosystem
CBBA will summarise these for our members once all details are formally released.
Presenting Statewide Change: CBBA’s Role in ‘Respect the Game’
A major highlight for our Association was the opportunity for CBBA General Manager Lachlan Arford to present on a statewide campaign addressing poor sideline behaviour across all levels of the sport.
Member of the Basketball NSW Communications Working Group throughout 2025, Lachlan introduced the upcoming “Respect the Game” campaign. A whole-of-sport initiative designed to set clearer expectations for behaviour, improve the game-day experience, and protect referees, volunteers, coaches, and participants. The Communications Working Group have developed tools for this campaign to be adopted by all Associations throughout the state.
The campaign will officially launch in 2026, with more information to be shared with our CBBA community soon.
Infrastructure Strategy & Future Facility Planning
Basketball NSW also released its updated Infrastructure Strategy and Facility Plan, outlining:
NSW’s rapid population growth
Projected demand for courts across the next decade
The critical need for new and modernised facilities
How associations and councils will need to partner to keep pace with participation
With CBBA continuing to grow at speed, this strategy is highly relevant for our area and reinforces the importance of facility planning across Blacktown.
2025 Hall of Fame Dinner
On Saturday night, the BNSW Hall of Fame Dinner celebrated significant contributions to the sport. A standout moment was the elevation of John Martin to Legend status — an honour reserved for individuals who have shaped basketball in NSW in an extraordinary way.
CBBA Wins Three Major State Awards
The conference concluded on Sunday with the 2025 Basketball NSW Annual Awards, recognising excellence across the state. CBBA was proud to bring home three awards:
🏆 Volunteer Administrator of the Year – Alfa Kabiling
🏆 Coaching Program of the Year (1001–3000 Members)
🏆 Referee Program of the Year (1001–3000 Members)
This recognition reflects the hard work of our volunteers, coaches, officials, staff, board and the entire CBBA community.
A Fitting Finish to a Huge Year
The 2025 Basketball NSW Conference capped off an incredibly successful year for basketball in NSW and for CBBA.
Thank you to Basketball NSW for hosting another high-quality event and to everyone who continues contributing to the growth of the game. We look forward to bringing our community more updates.
