Junior basketball in NSW runs on two main levels. Domestic is the local competition each association runs. Rep is the Waratah Junior Leagues, run by Basketball NSW, where associations enter teams picked at their own trials, which for 2027 teams the associations we checked held from late September to early November 2026. You register through your association, and Basketball NSW runs its competitions on Basketball Connect.
Last updated 9 October 2026.
Basketball NSW is the state's governing body for the sport and an affiliated member of Basketball Australia, the national governing body. It is usually not the organisation that runs your child's local games, though. Its Player Pathway page says domestic competitions are run by associations at venues around the state.
Basketball NSW says it has grown to over 80 affiliated associations across the state, and 81 associations were on its affiliated list on 9 October 2026. Its advice to a family starting out is simple: find the association closest to you and ask what learn to play programs and competitions it offers, and the association will help match your child to one.
Basketball NSW's Competitions page lists the competitions it runs: NBL1 East, the Waratah Senior League, the Waratah Junior Leagues, the John Martin Country Tournament and the BNSW Schools Tournaments. The one built for junior rep teams is the Waratah Junior Leagues, which Basketball NSW describes as representative competitions conducted throughout regional and metropolitan NSW.
Most of this guide comes back to one distinction: domestic or rep. Knowing which one a coach, a form or another parent means saves a lot of confusion.
Domestic is the local competition. Associations publish their own seasons, game nights and age groups, so what is true at Hills is not automatically true at City of Sydney. Hills runs a Summer competition from October to April and a Winter competition from April to September. City of Sydney runs three seasons a year, with no games during school or public holidays.
Rep is short for representative. Associations pick players at trials and enter teams in the Waratah Junior Leagues, which Basketball NSW manages and administers on behalf of the associations taking part. The junior leagues cater for players from U12 through to U18, and under the 2027 rules every regular season game starts no earlier than 8am on a Saturday or Sunday.
| Domestic | Rep (Waratah Junior Leagues) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Your local association | Basketball NSW, with associations entering teams |
| Who plays | Players registered through the association | Players picked at the association's trials, registered with Basketball NSW through an affiliated association |
| Opponents | Teams in the association's own competition | Teams entered by associations in the same league and division |
| Game days | Set by each association | Regular season: Saturday or Sunday, from 8am |
| Age groups | Set by each association | U12, U14, U16 and U18 |
| When teams are picked | You nominate a team or join one | Association trials, for 2027 teams held from late September to early November 2026 at the associations we checked |
Basketball NSW's Player Pathway page says metropolitan teams compete in the Metro Junior League (MJL) and country teams in regional leagues. The 2027 rules describe the MJL as a home and away competition with a finals series. Northern Suburbs Basketball Association's 2026 handbook says the MJL is drawn from 20 clubs across greater Sydney, with at least three and up to five divisions in most age groups.
Basketball NSW's 2026 key dates include a Junior Premier League (JPL), and its Player Pathway page says the top teams in Country and Metro come together to play in the JPL. Its 2027 Waratah Junior League Rules of Operation, dated 21 September 2026, do not mention the JPL. They list the Waratah State Championships (WSC), played as a mix of home and away and central venue rounds. An association can normally nominate only one team per age group in the WSC and in MJL Division 1. Basketball NSW's WSC nomination guide describes Stage 1 in December, for country associations only, and an open Stage 2 in February.
Under the same rules, country associations play regional junior leagues, such as the Western, Southern and North-Eastern Junior Leagues, either home and away or at central venues, followed by finals. The rep year then finishes with statewide events: the Waratah State Championships Finals, the U12 State Championships and the State Cup. Our rep basketball page walks through each one.
You join through your association. Basketball NSW says you complete the association's membership form, linked from its website, and pay the membership fee for your child's age group, which includes the state fee. It is plain about the alternative: if you choose not to pay the state fee, your child cannot play at any of its affiliated associations.
The 2026 state fee, as published on 9 October 2026, depends on age and term, and includes GST. The 12 month fee is $71.50 for players aged 12 and above and $55.00 for players aged 8 to 11. The 6 month option is $55.00 for players aged 12 and above and $38.50 for players aged 8 to 11. The state fee is only part of what you pay, and Basketball NSW says your association will tell you which fees apply.
Basketball NSW administers all of its competitions on Basketball Connect, and its app shows your team's draws, results and ladders. Your association may also use another system for its local competition. Norths, for example, asked club teams in its 2026 Autumn junior competition to register through the club's portal on PlayHQ, so it is worth asking your association which system it uses.
Rep teams for the following year are picked late in the year. For 2027 teams, Inner West Bulls held its first junior sessions on Saturday 26 September 2026, Hills runs trials from Tuesday 6 October to Sunday 1 November, and Bankstown from Tuesday 13 October to Thursday 5 November. Northern Suburbs (Norths) lists trials from Sunday 18 October on its trials page, and its 2027 Trials Information Pack runs open and closed sessions through to Sunday 8 November. City of Sydney's Comets say their trials run across October and November.
Associations set their own trial dates and venues, so always check the association's own page. Basketball NSW's 2027 rules say it encourages all associations to hold their representative trials within a consistent window each year, and that it will announce that window when it releases the following year's competition calendar.
If your child is already registered with one association and wants to trial at another, the rules require an Intent to Trial form first. It is not a clearance. A player who is then selected still needs a processed clearance from their old association before playing in any Basketball NSW competition.
Rep has a geography rule. The 2027 rules say players must play in a team from within their own region, and must be domiciled, meaning living, or boarding at a school in that region. If a region has no team of the right age, a player can ask Basketball NSW to consider their circumstances, case by case.
Country teams have an extra test. At least 80% of the players on any Country Junior League team must live within the association's recognised operating boundary, judged by the home address on the player's Basketball NSW registration. Players returning to the same team or association are exempt, though that exemption does not apply to new associations or new teams.
Metro or Country status also matters for selection to Basketball NSW's Jamborees and Under 13 Challenges, where it depends on where your child lives and where they play basketball. Basketball NSW's own example is a child from Coffs Harbour who boards at school in Sydney and plays for Norths. That child counts as Metro.
This section is for parents of children in Sydney and the rest of NSW, from a first season of local basketball through to rep trials and state programs. If you are new, start with the basics: find your nearest affiliated association through the Basketball NSW website, ask what it offers for your child's age, and register through it.
If rep is on your mind, read how the rep leagues work, check which 2027 age group your child falls into by birth year, and put the trial months in your calendar.
A short, honest note on how this page was put together. It is compiled from official sources: Basketball NSW's own pages and documents, and association websites. We opened every source on 9 October 2026 and list them at the bottom of the page. Basketball NSW's terms say links may only go to its home page, so we name its documents rather than link to them. Nothing here is endorsed by Basketball NSW or any association. Rules and dates change each season, so your association's own page is the final word.
Your local association runs domestic competitions and learn to play programs. Basketball NSW, the state governing body, runs the Waratah Junior Leagues, where associations enter their rep teams.
Late in the year, for the following season. For 2027 teams, the associations we checked held trials from late September to early November 2026: Inner West Bulls from 26 September, Hills from 6 October, Bankstown from 13 October and Norths from 18 October, with Norths' information pack running to 8 November. Check your own association's page.
Basketball NSW administers all of its competitions on Basketball Connect, and the app shows draws, results and ladders. Your association may use a different system for local competition, so ask which one it uses.
Players must play for a team in their own region and live, or board at a school, in it. A player already registered with another association must complete an Intent to Trial form before trialling, and each team can take only a limited number of transferred players.
If you have a question that you want answered and it isn't here - talk to head coach Cameron and he can talk you through the question that you have.
Start here
Trials and the season
Costs and registration
Safety and conduct
More on start here
Next questions parents ask
Facts on this page were compiled from the official sources below and written up in our own words. Dates, fees and venues change every season, so confirm anything you are relying on with the association directly.
This page was last updated October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
