Leaving Bankstown

Sometimes you wonder about why some people get involved in this game.
Addam and his Aces team played last night in the under-12s at Bankstown. They were never going to win the game, as somehow they managed to get put into the top division and the majority of the team have little or no experience. All the boys have learned to live with that and are there just to have a good game and get better.
But once again the refereeing was shockingly biased.
And that should come as no surprise as both referees belonged to the club that we were playing.
So once again we had a ridiculous foul count in the first half, calls for carry ball that clearly weren't, a cross-court ruling that was given before the ball or player had got over the court, a disallowed goal that clearly should have been a three-point play and a host of other things.
By half time, the team was really upset.
I reminded them that as a team they are in this together and that it is impossible to play against the referees. Lastly I said: ''it's a game and you are a team. You are all in this together and you should look after each other. Forget the referees, this is all about basketball and nothing else. Not winning or losing but just about getting better".
They went out after that in a better frame of mind and just enjoyed the second half.
The game played before ours was the Ragers versus On Fire.
That was another case of appalling refereeing with two former On Fire players refereeing the game. The coach of Ragers, George, just lost it.
George is often angry at Bankstown, while when he plays at Sutherland he is much more relaxed and happy, win or lose.
On Fire are notorious in under-12s. They play with enormous spite and I have watched players on that team intentionally try to hurt players on other teams on at least half a dozen occasions. The coach doesn't reign them in and claps when opposition players get fouls. That coach is proud of the team she has built but they are just plain nasty and have completely forgotten what basketball is all about.
But worse of all is that the team wins many games on bad calls. And not just one or two, but consistently bad calls throughout the entire game. No coach I know expects the refereeing to be fair when they play On Fire, which is a crazy state of affairs.
And that nasty On Fire attitude is infecting other teams.
We have decided that after this season we will cease playing at Bankstown altogether, because this consistently biased, nasty attitude has pervaded the under-12s for the past two years. Other teams will do the same and eventually On Fire will end up playing themselves.
We have had bad refereeing at other clubs, but at least it went both ways. That was just a case of young referees learning and you learn to live with that.
Addam has played at five clubs and only Bankstown has this level of nastiness.
Bankstown needs to realise these are kids. Addam is just nine. At this age we want to build their fundamentals, teach them sportsmanship, make them better players so that when they are older they will be good players in all respects.
Winning is not important. No one will remember, even in a seasons time, who won the grand final last time. It's a trophy for the shelf, a day out with the team who become friends and then on to the next adventure.
Bankstown is teaching their under-12s all the wrong things.
The only reason this club may stay strong at grass roots is because the Liverpool and Macarthur clubs collapsed. If they get on their feet again, it will be hard to see how Bankstown can maintain the levels they have so far enjoyed.
People like us, and kids who want to try other sports if they don't enjoy basketball will leave.
And if they wonder where all the players went, then they should look at the kids' competition.
As it stands, we think we can make Sutherland on Fridays, which would be great because we really love that club. Addam can play in the under-14s, division 2 among nice kids and parents, with a better coach than me, (Hi Steve!) and unbiased referees.