WABL

The Western Australian Basketball League (WABL) is WA’s premier junior basketball competition for U12s, U14s, U16s, U18s, U20s and Championship groups.

The Willetton Tigers’ representative season runs for a year – with formalities commencing at the State Championships tournament held in November/December, and finishing at the end of the WABL season in September.

Age Group Information

Unlike the Willetton junior domestic competition, which runs through the school year (1st July – 30th June), the WABL age groups are determined by calendar year (1st January – 31st December). Therefore:

A player will play in the under-12 age group if they are turning 9, 10 or 11 years of age during 2024 – must be born in 2013, 2014 or 2015.
A player will play in the under-14 age group if they are turning 12 or 13 years of age during 2024 – must be born in 2011 or 2012.
A player will play in the under-16 age group if they are turning 14 or 15 years of age during 2024 – must be born in 2009 or 2010.
A player will play in the under-18 age group if they are turning 16 or 17 years of age during 2024 – must be born in 2007 or 2008.
A player will play in the under-20 age group if they are turning 18 or 19 years of age during 2024 – must be born in 2005 or 2006.
Open-Age players that compete are usually over the age of 20 years.

WABL Season

The WABL is a winter-based competition that involves 13 different basketball associations from both the metropolitan and country regions, extending from Joondalup right down to the south-west region (Bunbury).

Teams are graded through a grading tournament that takes place in February/March, which determines which one of the four divisions each team will play in. These divisions are as follows:

Championship
Division 2
Division 3
Division 4

Willetton Basketball usually has multiple teams within the same age/gender groups. It is possible for these teams to end up in the same division as each other, though it all depends on the results of the grading tournament.

Games

Games are played on Sundays over an 18-week home and away season. The season generally commences in the last weekend of April, with finals finishing at the end of September. During the season, each team plays each other twice, before three weeks of finals basketball. Each away game will involve travel to other stadiums or recreation centres.

Parents are expected to score at games and are rostered on by team managers. In normal circumstances, parents will only be required to score one game per season, but this can depend on the length of the season and may need some families to help out with scoring twice.

An iPad is used, as with our junior competition matches, to score WABL games. This means most families will be familiar with the scoring process and how to use the iPad app. The visiting team will usually use the iPad, while the home team will be responsible for timing games – stopping the clock each time the referee blows their whistle, or re-starting the clock when the game resumes.

Games last for about an hour and 30 minutes, which is much longer than a standard domestic juniors’ competition match.

Selection of Teams

Willetton Tigers’ teams for the WABL season are selected through trials or try-outs. Each season, trials are opened up to any eligible player (who must be registered and playing in the current Willetton Winter Junior Competition season), followed by team selections. In the event that there are more players trying out than positions, unfortunately some players will miss out.

Selection in a Tigers’ WABL team will be for the following WABL season. Once players have been selected, all WABL teams will compete in the State Championships.

Calendar of Events

For WABL teams that are based at Willetton Basketball, a normal year in the WABL tends to look like this:

October/November – WABL Trials.
November/December – State Championships tournament over a weekend (two days).
January/February – Final WABL team selections are completed.
February/March – WABL Grading tournament to determine which division each team will compete in during the subsequent season.
April to September – 18-week home and away WABL season, including three weeks of finals.

Costs

There are costs associated with playing WABL that all players and families should be aware of. As of July 2021, this includes:

A trial fee of $30.00.
A $60.00 fee to play in the State Championships tournament – a playing singlet is provided for the tournament by Willetton Basketball and must be returned at the end of the tournament. Players must provide their own black shorts, with mouthguards being compulsory for matches and training.
WABL fees of approximately $490.00.
Venue entry fees for every game – $15.00 per player and spectators are free. If there are games at multiple venues on the same day, ask for a pass to make sure you are not charged multiple times. This covers the cost of game day referees, coordinators, etc.
Players and their families being involved in fundraising activities as part of their commitment. This is compulsory, with events communicated to teams when dates/activities are confirmed.
Parents contributing funds to provide a gift to coaches/team manager for their voluntary time during the season.
Paying for a social end-of-season wind-up.
Paying for court hire should a team wish to train over and above the set hours.

Playing Uniform

The WABL playing uniform consists of the following items, with players/families paying for these:

WABL playing shorts for games (compulsory).
One pair of Willetton white socks (optional – can bring your own plain white socks).
Willetton reversible singlet for training (compulsory).
Willetton training shorts (compulsory – included in WABL fees).
Willetton warm-up top with surname on the back (compulsory).
Willetton backpack (optional).
Willetton hoodie (optional).

As mentioned, the playing singlet is provided by Willetton Basketball and is to be returned to the team manager after the tournament. For more information, you can contact .