Tara Murray
New Wyndham Basketball Association general manager Craig Armstead believes there’s plenty of room to grow the sport in the municipality.
Armstead, who has had a long involvement in sports administration, was appointed to the general manager role in September.
Having spent recent years working in football at the Essendon District Football League and then Williamstown, Armstead is enjoying return to basketball.
He was previously president of the Melbourne Tigers and has worked for former NBL club the South Dragons.
“It’s been a unique start to the job,” Armstead said. “It was four to five weeks without meeting any of the staff face-to-face.
“There were several things for me that interested me in the job. Part of that is population growth and the last census shows it’s a big area.
“It’s growing and it’s cultural diversity. There’s plenty of challenges and opportunities.
“I’m passionate about sports participation and administration and I love basketball. My aim is to use my knowledge and experience to continue to build on the WBA.”
Armstead said there was a big opportunity to grow the sport in Wyndham on a local and state level.
“I’m keen and excited by the opportunity,” he said.
“Basketball is underrepresented in the west of Melbourne and there’s opportunities and challenges around that.
“We’ve got the under-18 championships and the Kevin Coombs Cup at Eagle Stadium next year, which is a significant event.
“It’s one piece that will allow us to showcase the west of Melbourne. We want it to be a legacy and use it to help drive participation and awareness in the west of Melbourne.”
Armstead said the association is in a good position and they wanted to continue to grow the program.
He said they would love to get involved with the state’s top competition, NBL1, down the track.
“We want to grow participation and get more players playing domestically and in the VJBL [Victorian Junior Basketball League],” he said.
“We’re getting coaches and administrators to be part of the growth of the program. It’s important Wyndham locals come through the program and we make sure the juniors have a really strong program.”
Some training has resumed for the Wyndham sides with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
Armstead said they were hoping to get full competitions back in the next four weeks.
