About Junior District

The Sturt Sabres Junior District League is for players wanting to play at a higher level than the Sturt Domestic League. Sturt offers the most professional and successful junior program in South Australia with many players having been selected to play for State and National teams.

Our highly experienced Junior Development Officer and expert coaches create a fun environment where players can learn and develop their skills to assist them in reaching their goals.

Extra programs are also offered to players such as Athletic Development, Shooting Academies and Skills camps.

Our focus is to work with you to achieve your desired long term outcomes as a player.

FAQS

The 3 required items for a district player are the Playing Singlet, Playing Shorts, Reversible Training Top, and Sturt socks (light blue or white). There are many other optional uniform items – check them out in our online store.

The Sturt Domestic League is a low cost, local, entry level alternative to District basketball. You can start with the Domestic League at any stage of the season and there is more flexibility in terms of standard and commitment.

District basketball is played all over Adelaide, requires a greater financial and time commitment of time and is a step up in terms of standard.

Games are played all year round with breaks for the middle weekend of school holidays for junior teams.

Friday Nights – U12 - U16 Division 1 and 2 teams, all Under 18 teams or below players
Thursday Nights – Under 16 Division 3 and below players
Saturday Mornings – All Under 10 players, U12-U14 Division 3 and below players
Monday Nights – Youth League (U23) Division 3 and below players
Tuesday Nights – Premier League Reserves and Division 3, Youth League (U23) Division 1 and 2 players
Wednesday nights – Senior Division 4 and below players
Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons – NBL1

Yes, practices are compulsory. In particular, practices leading into State Championships (May), National Junior Classics (June) and Championship season Finals (September) are vital for the preparation of teams for these big occasions.

All junior teams practice twice a week – Sunday morning and a mid-week night (varies between squads and teams). Depending on the senior team, you could practice once, twice, or zero times per week on a mid-week night.

It is important to note the distinction between practice and training. Sturt District teams just don't train, we practice – preparing basketballers to be better in the short and long term, individually and as part of a team.

District basketball is essentially played all year round. The Summer season goes from October-March (with a long break over Christmas/New Year), and the summer and championship season goes from April-September. Junior games are not played on the middle weekend of school holidays.

Yes, Sturt have had many players who have juggled multiple sports successfully, and as an example many play other professional sports such as AFL (around 6 at the moment!).

Arrangements can be discussed with the team coach and Director of Basketball. There is less flexibility leading into important events such as State Championships, National Junior Classics and Championship season finals.

Fees cover the major cost to the club, which is weekly practice venues, as well as supporting the administrative structure of the club. The current fees are listed.

Sturt hold external trials in August/September of every year in the lead up to the summer season. Any time outside of this, contact us. Opportunities can present at different times, and there is always the option to play Domestic basketball with Sturt. Players who are performing well at Domestic level may be asked out to District practices with a view to joining District teams.

Sample sizings for singlets, shorts, polo shirts and soft shell jackets are available to try at the club office at Springbank Sports Centre during office hours. This is also where a playing number can be arranged. Uniforms are then ordered (where sizing charts are also available) through Sturt;s online store. These are made to order and delivered to the players house within 4-5 weeks of the 15th and 30th of each month, so they can take up to 6 weeks in total.

For players who want to play at a higher level, Sturt offers the most professional and successful junior program in South Australia.

Since 1989 Sturt has been crowned the Champion Junior Club in South Australia 22 times.

Sturt is amongst the very best in Australia at producing players that go on to play at the highest level. 8 Sturt players have played at the highest level, the Olympic Games. Many more have represented their country at junior and senior level. Sturt has a long history of producing players who have gone to Canberra to the Australian Institute of Sport / Centre of Excellence, as well as playing professionally in Australia (NBL and WNBL) or overseas.

Every year many Sturt players represent their State at Australian Junior Championships.

Sturt has around 40 junior teams that compete in the Basketball South Australia District Competition. We aim for quality (not quantity) and only put the number of teams into the District competition that we feel we can provide quality service. Our product is widely regarded as the best product.

Please contact us for more information by email or phone (during business hours).