President's Update: November

To our valued (and patient) members, corporates and fans –
 
First of all, I want to apologise for the limited communication throughout this period and especially over recent months. We completely sympathise with the lack of clarity around the upcoming season, but unfortunately, we just haven’t had any new information to communicate. Like yourselves, we are also waiting on an official start date, competition schedule as well as season structure – whether that is a hub, multiple hubs, or no change at all (fingers crossed!) given the various State Government border controls across the country and New Zealand.
 
Please be aware that we aren’t the only ones in this situation, and the NBL are conscious of basketball fans across the country anticipating an update. It’s definitely a challenging time for all clubs that are in the same boat! We are still working towards a mid-January tip-off and I can assure you the moment that the NBL locks in a schedule and format, that we will share it as soon as we can.
 
Given these current circumstances, Taipans HQ remains closed for now, but the organisation has been working tirelessly to ensure that we will be ready for tip-off. It was only announced today that from next Tuesday (17 November) indoor events in Queensland will be increased from 50% to 100% capacity – the best possible outcome that can now be factored into our planning. We continue to develop our COVID-safe practices with updated regulations in line with FIBA guidelines at the new venue. The pop-up looks fantastic, and we can’t wait to play some games there!
 
It’s important that I thank our members’ businesses that were involved in the build of the pop-up. We received feedback from the builders that said as soon as they mentioned they were working on something “for the Taipans,” jobs were quickly prioritised to meet the tight schedule. Q-Build were very appreciative and positive about all the Cairns businesses they worked with!
 
On behalf of the club, I’d also like to acknowledge NAIDOC Week 2020 and the launch of the NBL’s inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) – what a wonderful development. A key commitment of this RAP will be increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander basketball player recruitment and retention, which will be brilliant for the sport. Our own Taipans Indigenous Programs (TIP) Manager Kerry Williams and Nathan Jawai consulted on the NBL’s RAP and are part of the working group that will ensure it is delivered. We should be extremely proud of TIP’s ongoing work in this area and having Kerry and Nate’s expertise recognised by the league.
 
For a brief update on the team, the players have been training hard in preparation for mid-January. Coach Kelly has implemented a different training schedule for this extended off-season, to ensure the guys remain fit and motivated, without peaking too early. As you can imagine, they are raring to play and we are negotiating some pre-season games at the moment. Hopefully we will all get to see our team on court very soon!
 
We are so proud of our roster. We have a great group and it’s a massive testament to our club that so many players have returned this year. But of course, we do have a couple of spots still to fill and we will have some very exciting news to share very soon! We have a feeling this will make the extensive off-season worth the wait…
 
However – thank you for riding the wave with us.
 
We thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented year and we certainly understand your frustrations. Along with the NBL, we are eager to get the season started and ensure that we can do that in the safest way possible.

We look forward to being in touch again, soon. 

Troy Stone
CQUniversity Cairns Taipans President