Bendigo Junior Classic basketball tournament benefits city

BBA president Martin Spottiswood said the Bendigo Junior Classic, taking place at Red Energy Arena and schools this week, injected millions of dollars into the city's economy.

More than 300 teams and between 12,000 and 15,000 are visiting the region. City accommodation providers are booked out.

Mr Spottiswood said most attendees had managed to find a bed.

Alexandra Place boutique hotel manager Julian Dove said it had created a three night minimum stay to ensure people coming for the basketball could make their bookings a month in advance easily.

"Pretty much every year leading up to it we're expecting to be booked out," he said.

"Sometimes people get sick and things like that and you might have one or two rooms that drop off, but usually they get filled with families who are either going to have to sleep in their car because there's no accommodation anyway.

"It's a reflection of Bendigo probably needing more accommodation than anything."

City of Greater Bendigo tourism and major events manager Terry Karamaloudis said the town had great facilities, but they would be busy with the influx of visitors.

"We've got over 300 junior basketball teams here at the moment, so that's going to put a fair bit of pressure on the accommodation sector, but it's a good problem to have," he said.

"We're very much in the business of attracting new events and experiences to Bendigo.

"In particular for the junior sporting sector because it's a surefire way to bring young sporting enthusiasts and mum and dad to experience our beautiful city.

"Families are out there eating, they're drinking, they're supporting the business community, which is really important because we're still very much in a recovery mode from the global pandemic."

Mr Karamaloudis said the event showcased the city's attractions.

"Greater Bendigo gets to showcase our marvelous Bendigo stadium, of course, and then more broadly, it also means that people get out while they're here," he said.

"So our galleries, theatres, our outdoor and green spaces or major parks and gardens, the magnificent historical buildings, there are many facets to Greater Bendigo that are appealing to people."

READ MORE:

As the competition grows, from 250 visiting teams in 2019 to now more than 300, the BBA is also investing back into the tournament with programs like Play Site.

"We've actually installed cameras around the courts so families who can't attend can actually watch the children playing live," Mr Spottiswood said.

"We're now also awarding prize money to the championship division in each age group and that's not done normally, but we've done that for the last three or so years.

"There's also prize money attached to winners and runners up for each of the championship game."

READ MORE:

Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.