Nunawading Basketball Association, also known as Melbourne East Basketball Association, runs junior and senior domestic competitions out of East Burwood, plus the Nunawading Spectres representative program. Its Saturday junior competition is part of the Greater Eastern Basketball Conference.
Written by Cameron James, founder and head coach at Liddicoat Basketball. Coaching juniors in Victoria for nearly a decade.
Last updated August 2026.
Nunawading Basketball Association, abbreviated NABA, also operates under the name Melbourne East Basketball Association, or MEBA. Both names refer to the same organisation, which trips up a lot of parents searching for one and finding the other.
They run basketball for the eastern suburbs out of East Burwood, covering everything from beginner programs for young kids through to a senior team playing in NBL1.
This is where most kids start, and there's no tryout to get in. Your child joins a club, the club enters a team, and the association grades the teams.
The Saturday competition is part of the Greater Eastern Basketball Conference, the GEBC, which also takes in teams from the Ringwood Basketball Association. So your child can end up playing clubs from outside Nunawading, which is the point of a conference.
Nunawading runs odd numbered age groups, which catches people out if they're used to the Under 12, Under 14, Under 16 pattern used elsewhere.
| Gender | Age groups |
|---|---|
| Girls | U08, U09, U11, U13, U15, U17, U19 |
| Boys | U08, U09, U11, U13, U15, U17, U19 |
| Mixed | U08 |
The day depends on the age group, so check before you commit a weeknight.
| Day | Who plays |
|---|---|
| Monday | Girls age groups |
| Friday | Boys age groups |
| Saturday | Mixed and all gender age groups |
A player must be under the prescribed age of the competition on 30 June 2026. So it's not their age on the day they play, it's their age at that fixed date. Work it out before you assume which group your child lands in.
East Burwood Reserve, Burwood Highway, East Burwood VIC 3151. This is the main venue.
Also used by the association for competition and programs.
Nunawading's rep teams are the Spectres. Juniors play U12 to U18 in the Victorian Junior Basketball League, which is Friday night basketball against other associations across the state.
Rep is selected at tryouts and is a much bigger commitment than domestic. If you're weighing it up, the commitment and cost are worth understanding before the tryout rather than after.
The senior Spectres play in NBL1, which is the national semi professional tier below the NBL.
Nunawading publishes competition fees at the team and club level rather than a single per player figure, because clubs enter teams and then divide costs among families.
For the winter 2026 season the published team level fees were a $210 bond for new clubs or teams, an $80 team entry fee, a $95 weekly team sheet fee, and a $160 walkover fee if a team fails to show.
Those are the fees a club pays, not the number you'll be quoted as a parent. What you actually pay depends on your club, how many players share the team sheet, and whether uniforms are included. Ask your club for the per player figure.
Entries for the winter 2026 season opened on 12 January and closed on 10 March, with competition starting across April and May. Clubs register teams through an online form before entries close.
As a parent you generally don't enter a team yourself. You join a club within the association and the club handles the entry. If you don't have a club, contact the association and ask which ones have space in your child's age group.
Yes. Nunawading Basketball Association also operates as Melbourne East Basketball Association, or MEBA. Both names refer to the same organisation and the same competitions.
East Burwood Reserve, Burwood Highway, East Burwood VIC 3151. The association also uses The Summit Sports Complex.
Girls and boys in U08, U09, U11, U13, U15, U17 and U19, plus a mixed U08. Note these are odd numbered age groups rather than the U12, U14, U16 pattern used in some other competitions.
Girls age groups play Monday, boys play Friday, and mixed and all gender age groups play Saturday. The Saturday competition is part of the Greater Eastern Basketball Conference.
Not for domestic. You join a club and the club enters a team. Tryouts only apply to the Spectres representative program, which plays in the VJBL.
Other associations in Melbourne's east
Every competition in this guide
I coach players 7 to 17 online, with a plan built around your child and a check in every week. Oakleigh is 20 minutes down the road if you want the monthly court session too.