On Wednesday 14 December 2022, Binar achieved a SIGNIFICANT milestone that has been a long time coming.
More than 10 years ago we identified a real need to have a local basketball association in the Midland area. There has not been one in place since 2003. Youth from our area had no other option but to travel to other associations, that were not local to Midland, to play the sport they loved.
Binar was formed in 2011 with its primary purpose being to assist local youth that faced barriers to participation. The main 3 areas of need being transport, fees and uniforms, but also having someone to coordinate teams.
Over the next few years, it became clear to us that too many of our youth were missing out, and that we desperately needed to create an association for this region. However, because Binar was heavily dependent on its founder, and a small group of volunteers, it was not successful in securing the Swan Active Midland basketball courts to run youth basketball competitions.
Our achievements on and off the basketball court have been significant since our inception; however, the last three years have been transformational for our organisation. It was in 2019 where things really started to change for Binar...
We established a committed and respected Board of Directors, a dynamic and energetic executive team, and an amazing group of Aboriginal leaders and mentors that have all come through the Binar program. We are all aligned with our mission to empower Aboriginal youth to build POSITIVE FUTURES for themselves, their families, their communities, and their culture.
We are now a registered Charity with DGR status, with the governance and disciplines in place to deliver our programs and provide a solid platform for us to achieve our strategic objectives.
We applied, again, in early 2022, to seek access to Swan Active Midland after the current refurbishment was complete. This involved a thorough due diligence process; working closely with the City of Swan and their Leisure Services team, and culminating in the delivery of a detailed business case and financial model for the City and Councillors to consider.
All our hard work came to a head on Wednesday 14 December, where the Council met and voted on our proposal. We are thrilled to announce that we were SUCCESSFUL with the Council voting in favour of our proposal 12-3!
In early 2024, we intend to deliver an exciting junior basketball competition in the hope of engaging youth within our community and providing them with a pathway to flourish and succeed.
Our competition will seek to provide a safe environment where children, from all backgrounds, can come together to learn, grow, and thrive. We are committed to making the competition accessible and inclusive for all, and we are especially focused on providing opportunities for Aboriginal youth who may not have access to quality sports programs and facilities.
Looking ahead, we hope that this will also create opportunities for our youth to access other basketball pathways including the West Australian Basketball League (WABL), the highest-level of junior basketball competition in the State. It will also create opportunities for youth to develop skills in umpiring, coaching and other officiating roles.
There is much work still to do, but this is a significant step forward in our story. We welcome anyone that would like to be a part of this exciting new journey to make contact with us.