TRANSCRIPT of YouTube clip

Hi everyone!

This is Bryn Davies, President of Deaf Basketball Australia and Thomas Andrews, Vice President.

It has been 4 months since the new Board has been elected, and it is time for us to update our members on the work we have done to date. This update is a critical plank of communications between DBA and their state members, as well as the community.

A power of work has been done behind the scenes in setting up our communication portals, including obtaining access to deaf.basketball.net.au email addresses. We have also been able to obtain access to our website, which can be found at www.deaf.basketball.net.au. It is important that these email addresses and website will form the basis of our communications between members, between stakeholders and between the deaf and hard of hearing community, and ultimately, be a great portal for the general public who would take an interest in deaf basketball.

The DBA Board has also been working through the tasks required to set up the National Teams program and have it up and running in time for the selection process that will happen, to send mens and womens teams to the World Deaf Basketball Championships in July 2015, as well as the Asia Pacific Deaf Games 4 months later, in October 2015. Having two international tournaments presents us with some significant challenges, challenges that DBA has not faced before in their history. DBA together with DSA have registered their preliminary intent to field the two teams at the Worlds, and the final registration deadline is 3rd July 2014. It is planned to have try-outs prior to this deadline, in late May/ early June in Melbourne. To this end, we will be sending out Expressions of Interest far and wide to gain awareness of the try outs and obtain a list of interested players that we can inform when details are finally confirmed. We have also made the decision to advertise the national teams coaching and team manager positions, and our decision has been relayed to the previous coaches and team managers. It is envisaged these positions will be advertised within the next two weeks via our website, our Facebook group, DSA website, and through our state members. Please keep an eye for these advertisements and share them around as far as you can when they do come out.

The NDBCC is a critical part of DBA's plans, and both state members have been given the opportunity to put their hand up to host. Responses from DBV and QDBA to date have shown some hesitation to host the NDBCC this year, which is unfortunate but understandable. The DBA Board will meet on 15th April and it is expected that there will be an update in this space as to the way forward for the NDBCC, bearing in mind the last one was held in 2011.

Since the Board has been elected, there has been a pleasing result with our champion mens team, Melbourne City, representing Australia at the 2nd Asia Pacific Deaf Basketball Club Championships in Goyang, Korea. They represented our country with distinction and were able to defend their title - a great result and vindication that Australia DOES have the talent and determination to be ranked the best nation in Asia Pacific region - our challenge now is to replicate this result at future international tournaments after being so close at the 2012 Asia Pacific Deaf Games. The result by Melbourne City has been positive for our sport, and it appears that basketball is starting to come back as the sport of choice for the deaf and hard of hearing community, and our challenge will be to provide opportunities to capitalise on that. To this extent, DBV together with Melbourne City are about to start the second season of the Victorian Deaf Basketball League, this time with a womens competition involved as well as the mens competition. DBV and Melbourne City are to be applauded for their efforts in keeping the momentum going - it is important that we all make use of the momentum to create more positive outcomes.

The Australian Deaf Games are now under 2 years away, being planned for 9th-16th January 2016 in Adelaide. DSA have appointed Brett Hidson to manage this event together with an organising committee, which will be announced in due course. Brett was the Chef de Mission of the Australian Deaflympic Team at the 2005 Deaflympics so he is a great choice by DSA to lead the event management efforts on behalf of DSA. Brett has been in touch with DBA to start the planning process for the basketball competition and we will be in touch with our state members on a few items in preparation for the ADG, as it is very critical that basketball makes its return at this event after being absent at the last two ADG's, 2008 and 2012.

We now have 4 on the Board, having welcomed Ida Rogers from NSW as a Board member - she has great knowledge of the sport through her involvement on the DBA board previously as well as being part of the NSW set up around the 2003 ADG, and we look forward to her contribution to the Board in coming years. We will be recruiting for more people on the Board after we have started the recruitment process for the national teams coaches and team managers.

It is hoped that this update will be a regular one for our state members, and it will take both DBA and the state members to keep an open dialogue at all time. As a sign that the DBA Board are committed to improving all facets of the sport for deaf and hard of hearing, we thought it was fitting to have these updates titled "On The Rebound" as a nod to its basketball link, as well as its general meaning of making the sport the power it once was in the past!

Thanks everyone for watching, and til next time -

ON THE REBOUND!