Pascoe Vale electorate
Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (15:16): (359) My constituency question is for the Minister for Community Sport. What funding programs are available to help support the Coburg Giants and the Coburg Basketball Association? First established in 1949, the Coburg Giants is one of the oldest basketball associations in Australia. For 74 years the club has continued to slam dunk above its weight, doing Coburg proud on local, national and international stages – winning two NBL titles, in 1989 and 1994. The club has produced generations of male and female basketballers who have gone on to represent Victoria and Australia via the Boomers and the Opals. The association is now one of the biggest community grassroots clubs in the northern suburbs and home to, get this, 3700 players, 499 teams, 437 coaches and many more volunteers – plus countless hours of parents being taxi drivers – operating from their spiritual home at Coburg Basketball Stadium. I have had the privilege to visit the Giants, including the wonderful president, Sally Kerin, and long-time volunteers, Tracey McCombe, Michelle Anderson and John Watson, on many occasions. They would love more news on how they can secure further funding to support their growing participation rates, especially amongst women and girls.