Bomaderry Public School's Little Ballers Program to tip off in term two

BPS's Little Ballers is a "fun and inclusive program," designed for kids between the age of nine and twelve.

The fully-inclusive program will teach participating students the fundamentals of the sport of basketball, along with game-based drills - while at its core being about having fun.

Professional basketball coach Scott Balsar is the brains behind the project.

Balsar having been involved in the sport from a coaching angle for more than 30 years, said he can't wait to provide a much needed service through this program.

"This program will provide an opportunity for many of the students in our local region to thrive whilst having fun and leading a healthy lifestyle," he said.

Balsar put together the pilot program about a month ago with the goal of giving kids from low socio-economic backgrounds an opportunity to play sport.

"We have a big diverse range of students that come to this school who all come from different backgrounds," he said.

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"This basketball skill based program will provide the kids an opportunity to experience sport within their own environment here at the school.

"For us it's a pilot program, but we've already had a lot of interest, we're up to 25 plus kids that have already enrolled."

The program is also fully inclusive for all students, with tailored coaching for any students no matter their situation.

"We currently have two support students who have signed up for the program, everyone can participate and enjoy the game of basketball."

BPS was able to raise funding for Little Ballers thanks to Bomaderry Charity Trust Bingo, who have provided $5000 to Balsar and his team to run the program.

With this funding it means they are now able to offer the program at no cost to the kids and their families.

"The interest and support the community has had for the program has just been fantastic," Balsar said.

If the program is a success, it may become a blueprint used by schools throughout the Shoalhaven with Balsar saying he has already had a number of local schools reach out to him about it.

The overall hope for Balsar is that the students in the program will develop a love for the sport and want to take it further down the line by playing locally.

"The big aim here is to help these kids develop a love for the game and help feed them into the local competitions throughout the region," he said.

Little Ballers will be conducted on Monday afternoons at Bomaderry Public School from 3.15pm - 4:15pm and will be run over three school terms (Terms two, three and four).

All students participating will receive a BPS Ballers program t-shirt, Spalding basketball, water bottle, as well as healthy snacks at each session.

"Basketball is a fun sport, it's my passion, it's my love and we just can't wait to see these kids grow."