BBNZ have a NZ Development Tour for 2014 for high performance athletes, to retain in the overall national programme as we look to increase our depth of future potential Tall Ferns and Tall Blacks. This is a significant achievement and Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) is delighted to offer you the opportunity to participate in this unique programme that will continue to develop your skills and provide you with competitive experiences. We aim to emphasize on-going development in favour of finite competition based activities and the long term goal of all programmes is to develop a bigger pool of international standard representatives for New Zealand teams and better prepare eligible athletes for FIBA Oceania and World Championships.

 

Overall costs of the tour is $3250, which includes international flights, ground transport, accommodation, meals, uniform, tournament related fees, insurance and any misc costs. Below is some additional information regarding the tour.

Key dates:

 

Athletes meet in Auckland prior to travel*	Auckland	7 January, 2014
Travel to Australia	Auckland International Airport	8 January, 2014
Preparation Camp	Albury, NSW, Australia	9-12 January, 2014
Australian Country Cup	Albury, NSW, Australia	13-18 January, 2014
Athletes travel back to NZ	Via Auckland International Airport	19 January, 2014

 

*As the tour falls through the holiday season, athletes will need to arrange then their own domestic transport and accommodation around the international travel dates (if required).

 

 

Induction Day – 7^th January

There will be an opportunity to meet the team management on the 7^th January, the day before teams leave for Australia. This will also be where each athlete collects their playing uniforms and other apparel. Below is a schedule of the day.

 

Venue	Time	Group
Pulman Lodge 12 Russel Ave Papakura North	12.00 – 1.00 pm	Staff Induction (Coaches & Managers only)
	1.15 – 2.15pm	U18 Group Meeting
	2.30 – 3.30pm	U16 Group Meeting
	3.45 – 4.45pm	U14 Group Meeting

 

• If you are not based in Auckland, please arrange your travel around the above meeting times and the below international flight on the 19^th January.
• Reserves who are local are also more than welcome to attend the meeting.

 

Accommodation – 7^th January

There is a small number of athletes who do not have friends or family to stay with in Auckland, if you are based in Auckland and are able to accommodate an athlete for the night, can you please let me know asap.

 

 

International Flights

 

On the 8^th January there are two flight times for the group. You will receive a copy of your itinerary stating which will confirm which flight you will be travelling on.

 

Air New Zealand		NZ  123		Economy Class	Confirmed
Depart	Wed	8 January 14		Auckland	8.20am
				Terminal: International
Arrive	Wed	8 January 14		Melbourne	10.20am
				Terminal: 2
Total time Auckland to Melbourne is 4 hours 0  minutes
Aircraft Type: Boeing 777-200

 

Air New Zealand		NZ  725		Economy Class	Confirmed
Depart	Wed	8 January 14		Auckland	3.30pm
				Terminal: International
Arrive	Wed	8 January 14		Melbourne	5.30pm
				Terminal: 2
Total time Auckland to Melbourne is 4 hours 0  minutes
Aircraft Type: Airbus A320

 

Air New Zealand		NZ  124	Economy Class	Confirmed
Depart	Sun	19 January 14	Melbourne	12.25pm
			Terminal: 2
Arrive	Sun	19 January 14	Auckland	5.55pm
			Terminal: International

 

 

Staff

Tour Director – Mel Young

Tour Manager – Robyn Ruka

Director of Coach Development – Natu Taufale

 

Age Group	Coach	Manager
U14 Boys	Bruce Boyce (Basketball Auckland) Paul Neilson (North Canterbury BA)	Ricky Ariki (Basketball Auckland) Mark Mandeno (Hibiscus Coast BA)
U14 Girls	Albert Ellis (Waikato Basketball Council) Chris Rook (Southland BA)	Anna Inger (North Harbour Basketball) Rachel Gwerder (Tauranga City BA)
U16 Boys	Danny Page (Coburg Basketball, VIC, AUS) Tai Winitana (Basketball Auckland)	Antoine Coffin (Tauranga City BA)
U16 Girls	Jody Cameron (North Harbour BA) John Wai (Basketball Otago)	Jalna Simmons (Waikato Basketball Council)
U18 Men	Gavin Briggs (Basketball Otago) Gerard Mullin (Basketball Otago)	Maryellen Bezzant (Waikato Basketball Council)
U18 Women	James Ballinger (Albury-Wodonga, NSW, AUS) Stephanie Jones (Basketball Auckland)	Meri Blakey (Waikato Basketball Council)

 

A home training programme is attached for your reference and your coaches will be in touch to liaise with you what exactly you should be focusing on.

 

 

Key Documents

Can you please let me know asap if you would like to confirm your position in the team and are available for the above tour if you were to be brought in as a replacement. Below are some forms relating to your participation in the 2014 BBNZ Junior National Squad Programme. To ensure a smooth transition if this were to happen, please complete in full and return them to Basketball New Zealand asap.

 

Click below to access the following forms:

• Athlete Agreement
• Athlete Medical Form

 

Copy of Passport

Please send a copy of your passport for flight ticketing and/or visa purposes. If you are not travelling on a New Zealand passport, you are responsible for getting any visas you may require. Please note that if you are passionate on representing New Zealand on an international level at FIBA Oceania and World Championships, you must obtain a NZ passport to be eligible.

 

You are required to complete and return all forms, along with a copy of your passport to me asap.

 

 

Additional Communication

Please note that most communication for the tour will be done via email and therefore it is very important that you provide an email address that you regularly check.

 

We would once again like to highlight the importance of following deadlines. Failure to abide to the due dates may result in your invitation being withdrawn and an alternate being selected. If for some reason you are not able to meet the set deadlines than we would appreciate a call/email from you so that we are forewarned. These deadlines are not set lightly. They have a lot of impact on other important decisions that need to be made and your full cooperation is vital to make this tour a success.

 

Finally, congratulations on your selection. We look forward to working with you over these next important months in support of your development. If you have any questions regarding the above or require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Kind regards,

Melinda

 

 

Melinda Hodgson | National Junior Teams Coordinator | Basketball New Zealand

DDI: +64 (0) 4 498 5954| Mobile:+64 (0) 276875387| Fax: +64 (0) 4 472 3623
Level 4, 3-9 Church Street, 6011 |PO Box 6052, Marion Square, 6141, Wellington NZ

Web:www.basketball.org.nz

 

 

 

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