Recently, our club had the opportunity to be invited by RMIT to the BigV Senior Men’s Division 1 Grand Final, where RMIT Redbacks defeated Gippsland United 95-84. Both the Under 9 and 11 Girls basketball teams I coach, along with their families, were fortunate enough to be asked by our committee and given tickets to attend and support the Redbacks.
When asked, I didn’t hesitate to agree, as I thought it would be a great opportunity for the girls to come together, bond, and experience a high level of competitive basketball locally within our community. Elissa and Lisa from our Club’s Committee went out of their way to make it special for the girls. They were asked to wear red and black with their Hawks jerseys to represent our club while creating an RMIT/Banyule cheer squad for the game. They were given merchandise, pom-poms, and had their hair sprayed red, and were given a special section of court to watch the game from. The girls had a lot of fun together, cheering on the Redbacks and engaging with the cheerleaders and mascot Rupert Redback.
The game was close and very entertaining, with a great atmosphere. I received a lot of positive feedback from many families who attended, all of whom said their girls had an amazing time bonding together.
As a coach, I believe it was a great opportunity to bond with our teams and families. Through this team activity, it helped to nurture our team’s culture. I think it was important for the girls to see the teamwork, desperation, and hard work displayed by both RMIT and Gippsland, trying their best for each other working towards achieving a common goal, which is more important than winning or losing. Especially as we were entering the finals part of our season. I recommend during your season, taking time away from training and Saturday games, either through self-organised or upcoming future opportunities from our club to attend RMIT games to promote team activities like this to build friendships and help support a positive culture with your team and families. Congratulations to RMIT Redbacks on winning the final and thank you to both RMIT and our Banyule Hawks Committee for inviting and including our girls’ teams to attend and participate.
Peter Tamas – Coach
