By Tara Murray
A new basketball club has been formed in Melton to give those in the local area an outlet they might not otherwise have.
The Nile Warriors Basketball Club is being launched last week and is set to field 10 to 12 teams in the local Melton competition.
The creation of the club has been a couple of years in the making.
Committee member Ajok Citak said she had spoken with other parents who had come from South Sudan in 2022 about starting a club.
Three years later it has finally come to fruition.
“We were talking about how an African-based club would really bring us together,” she said. “Something that brings everyone together. We had the discussion in 2022 and then nothing happened.
“In 2024 I got the idea to open a basketball club and shared ideas with Madiar [Chipuowuop] and other people in Melton.
“It all came together and we started building this club.”
A name and logo were settled on and the group came together to form the club. While it’s a basketball club, it’s bigger than that with a lot of history behind it.
“It’s a reason to unite us, bring us together,” she said. “There’s been a lot of people who support our direction and our community.
Chipuowuop, who is vice-president of the club, said the club wanted to make basketball for everyone.
“We’ll help kids get into the sport,” he said. “Some kids can not afford fees elsewhere and we will help out without that with sponsors for them.
“We want to get them off the couch and get them off the streets, so they can do something right for themselves.
“We want them to know that people care and there are people there for them. We want to make the club a community for the kids.”
Citak said the aim for the club was to have players that could play in the 2036-38 basketball world cups in the future.
She said down the track they might look to add other sports, but for now it’s about basketball.
“We are setting a strong foundation for the community,” she said. “We want to provide quality support for our kids.
“All the committee members are volunteers who are here to support our community. We not just for the African community, we are inclusive at the Nile Warriors and anyone who likes our direction is welcome.”
