ARU basketball set to pause WNBL basketball during lockdown

Published: 6 November 2020 at 16:00

ARU Basketball's WNBL division one side will not take part in any competitive fixtures during the four-week government lockdown, despite the Basketball England competition being exempt from government restrictions.

On Wednesday 4 November, Basketball England announced that the WNBL division one competition will continue as originally scheduled despite national restrictions. All teams within the competition are permitted to continue training, travelling and competing due to their 'elite sport' status.

Head of the basketball programme, Matthew Harber said, "We have not taken this decision lightly because there are pros and cons no matter what decision we made. However, throughout this pandemic, we promised our players that we would not do anything that would compromise their safety or make anyone feel pressured or uncomfortable with any team activity."

He went on to say, "Having evaluated the national situation and having consulted with our management and coaching staff, we think that this is the best decision for our team at this point in time and will prioritise the team's safety ahead of everything else."

The team's activity during the lockdown period is currently under review, but Coach Jacob Lloyd and the team continue to plan a successful 2020-21 campaign following their opening win of the season, 69-50 against City of London Academy Pride.