OUR PRINCIPLES

At Young Hoopers we love basketball and aim to provide a positive, happy and safe environment for your child to develop the same enjoyment from the sport.

Our program is the introduction to structured basketball for the majority of our participants. Activities are age appropriate, delivered in a supportive way, and built around fun.

With a high coach-to-player ratio, every child gets the attention needed to learn skills in a playful, encouraging setting. The most important marker for future success is not shooting, dribbling, passing or defence — it is a passion for the game. Players who love the game are the ones who keep learning. Our role is to show them the fulfilment basketball offers in many areas of life.

Basketball and sport give children a chance to learn important life skills. Classes sit outside the classroom, so children can build those skills in a fun, team-based environment without the pressures many face at school.

We put players in situations where they work as groups, communicate, overcome challenges and develop new skills. Through that they build teamwork, communication, listening, leadership, sportsmanship, confidence and resilience — qualities that show up in daily life.

We want children to face challenges in a supportive sporting atmosphere. Activities are designed to engage and stretch them at the same time. Making a difficult shot, mastering a dribbling activity, learning to defend, or finishing that last lap all help players grow comfortable with physical and mental challenges.

We also want a positive association with physical fitness, based on mastering basketball skills. Healthy, active children are much more likely to become healthy, active adults. We want that start to their sporting journey to be a good one.

Mistakes are one of life’s great teachers. In the words of Michael Jordan — to learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail. We teach players not to be discouraged by mistakes. A player who is afraid to make them will only do what they already know, and will limit themselves.

Our coaches ask players to challenge themselves, make the mistakes, and use them as the chance to improve. We want “this is a challenge” in place of “I can’t do this”.

Basketball is a team game. It helps players improve interpersonal skills, learn cooperation and leadership, and make long-term friends. We teach working together toward a shared goal, communicating constructively, and competing in a positive way.

Activities run from simple relay races through to full 5v5. We want players who can work together and compete against each other with sportsmanship — learning to lose without becoming overwhelmed when they are younger, and learning to instruct teammates without negativity when they are older.