Junior Competitions

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2026/27 SUMMER SEASON INFORMATION

🗓️ Age Groups Are Based on Year of Birth
Please note that basketball age groups are determined by the year you were born, not the age you are at the start of the season. It doesn’t matter when during the year you have your birthday—there are no exceptions to this rule.

Age Group Breakdown for the 2026/27 SummerSeason
– Effective from 26/27 Summer Season.

Age Group Year of Birth Game Day
U10s 2018 and younger Sunday
U12s 2016, 2017 Saturday
U14s 2014, 2015 Saturday
U16s 2012, 2013 Sunday
U19s 2009, 2010, 2011 Sunday

 

Trials are now open!

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Junior Summer Open & JPL Competition – Important Updates

Basketball ACT has made some important changes to how the Summer Open and Junior Premier League (JPL) competitions will run, based on community feedback, official input, and long-term planning.

Why the Changes?

      1. To create clear, consistent pathways for players and teams.
      2. To improve the competition structure for fairness, development, and sustainability.
      3. To better align Summer Open and JPL with the overall junior calendar.

What’s New? (Summarised – The full By-law changes will be published by BACT soon)

SUMMER OPEN

      1. Open to all club/school teams – no team limits.
      2. No pools; all teams play across 11 rounds + 3 weeks of finals.
      3. Top 6 teams automatically qualify for JPL. If more than 8 teams, they play qualifying tournament games.
      4. One age group will play Saturday nights to help with court space and referee management.

JPL (Junior Premier League) – Winter

      1. Maximum 8 teams per age group/gender.
      2. Runs for 14 rounds + 2 weeks of finals.
      3. Teams play each other twice – fair and consistent.
      4. Starts in May, and runs alongside Open and Junior seasons.
      5. U19s can now have up to 4 restricted players.
      6. U12s will have no restricted players.

Trials & Transfers

      1. Summer Open trials must follow BACT trial dates.
      2. Players wanting to transfer between clubs must have a valid reason (e.g. moved house or changed schools) and approval from BACT.
      3. Restricted players from teams not qualifying for JPL may be moved on a local interchange, only if space allows.
      4. Players from Open teams who qualify for JPL must meet participation requirements (e.g. played 50% of games or have medical clearance) to continue in Division 1.

Important Notes for Clubs & Parents

      1. JPL is a privilege, not a guarantee – teams must earn their place.
      2. Clubs should focus on developing depth, especially through junior programs like Aussie Hoops.
      3. Player movement should be respectful. Poaching rules will be more clearly communicated.
      4. JPL will also be capped at 8 teams for consistency for all age groups and genders.

Information for new players

We welcome new players with or without experience. If you haven’t played basketball before, please come along to the trials so we can place you in a team. If you are a new player with previous basketball experience, let us know so we can make sure you are placed in the right team.

Note if you are coming from another Club, the PlayHQ system will require you to submit a transfer before you can complete your registration. Please let the Club know in such cases ([email protected]) so we can reserve a place in a team for you.

There is no minimum age to play basketball but generally players who are 7-8 years or older are more likely to enjoy the competition while younger players will benefit more from participating in the BACT run program (Aussie Hoops) to develop their ball skills first.

Competition structure and age groups

The 2026 Winter season finishes in September.

2026/27 SUMMER SEASON

The 2026/27 Summer Season starts Mid October and runs until late March for all divisions.

There are 5 junior age groups competing in Basketball ACT competitions – under 10, under 12, under 14, under 16 and under 19. What age group you play in is determined by what age you turn in the year of the competition (regardless of whether you actually reach that age in the competition itself).

Age Group Year of Birth Game Day
U10s 2018 and younger Sunday
U12s 2016, 2017 Saturday
U14s 2014, 2015 Saturday
U16s 2012, 2013 Sunday
U19s 2009, 2010, 2011 Sunday

Under 10s is non-competitive, however there are still 2-3 divisions to cater for different ages and abilities. All U10s games will be played on Sundays.

Under 12-19s are then broken down into grades (divisions 1-6), and play Saturday-Sunday. There is also a separate JPL (junior premier league)/Summer Open run on Friday nights for elite level players.

Training for all teams are from Monday – Thursdays (day depending on coaches availability) at Tuggeranong Basketball Stadium and MacKillop College, Wanniassa Campus.