Basketball Hawthorn: a parent's guide

Who Basketball Hawthorn are

Basketball Hawthorn is one of the biggest Basketball Victoria affiliated associations, and most of its membership sits inside the City of Boroondara. That makes it one of the largest community groups in Melbourne's inner east.

It started its junior domestic competition in 1988, and the first Hawthorn Magic representative team followed in 1991. So the domestic competition came first and the rep program grew out of it, which is worth knowing because it's still how the pathway works.

How big it is

The association is home to 13 domestic clubs and around 800 domestic teams across juniors and seniors. At that size your child is very unlikely to be the only beginner in their age group.

Domestic basketball at Hawthorn

Domestic is the entry point and it's where most children at Hawthorn play. You register through one of the 13 clubs rather than through the association directly, and the club places your child in a team.

There's no tryout to play domestic. That's the whole point of it. Teams get graded so your child ends up playing against kids at roughly their level, and the grading gets revisited as the season goes.

Rep at Hawthorn, the Magic

The representative program is the Hawthorn Magic, and it plays in the Victorian Junior Basketball League. VJBL games run on Friday nights across Melbourne, roughly between 6pm and 11pm, in Under 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 age groups for both girls and boys.

Players from any of the domestic clubs can register for Magic tryouts. Teams are picked on merit by a coaching panel, so playing for a particular club doesn't get your child in and doesn't keep them out.

Magic teams train for two and a half hours a week. Add a Friday night game and the travel to it, and that's the commitment before you count domestic on top.

Do they still play domestic?

Plenty do. It's common for a rep player to keep playing domestic alongside the VJBL season, which means two games a week. Think about that carefully for a younger child.

Beyond juniors

Hawthorn also fields teams in Big V, the state level senior competition. For a parent that matters mainly as proof the pathway keeps going past Under 20 rather than stopping there.

How to join

Start with the domestic clubs rather than the association. Pick one that's near you, look at which nights they train, and contact them about the coming season.

If your child is already playing domestic and you're thinking about rep, watch for Magic tryout dates. They're advertised through the association and they come around once a year, so missing them costs you a full season.