Tara Murray
Melton Thoroughbreds are keen to establish a pathway for its junior girls program seeking to reestablish a Big V women’s youth league side.
The Thoroughbreds posted on social media that they were seeking player expression of interest to have a team next season.
The Thoroughbreds haven’t had a youth league women’s since 2022.
Melton president Matthew Brooks said there was definitely some interest in looking to get a team back up and going.
“We would have liked to have done it last season,” he said. “There’s a bit of interest already and if we do get it up and running it will be a young team.
“We’re hoping to lure some experience to go with the younger players. We’re trying to get the team locked in as we don’t want to put a team in and then have to pull it out.
“That was the hesitation last season.”
Brooks said many of their Country Basketball League players were keen to be part of the youth league side and further develop the connections they’ve already got.
The side is one of the youngest in the CBL. Crowds have been strong at all their home matches.
Brooks said helping the push for a youth league women’s side is the fact that the club has under-18 girls again in the Victorian Junior Basketball League.
He said the establishment of a female pathway was something that wanted to have long term.
Brooks said the association shot themselves in the foot at times in recent years with the way they had gone about some things.
“We have got the population growth, so we want to hook in new talent,” he said. “Hopefully by late this week we’ll know where we are at.
“Hopefully we’ll get youth league women and that turns into senior women down the track.”
Brooks said they had changed their coaching structure going forward to help support all their programs.
The club will look to have a senior female director of coaching role once they have re-established a senior program.
“We are looking to get that pathway for the juniors into seniors and having consistency across the whole program,” he said.
“That is the plan for the next 12 months.”
In other news, the Thoroughbreds have announced their Big V men’s coaches for next season.
John De Jonge will be the men’s division 2 coach, while Ben Whyte will remain the youth league men’s coach.
To register interest in the youth league women’s team, tinyurl.com/mrchkyyy
