Its unique offerings are Basketball Victoria’s Country Jamboree and the annual Echuca Moama Basketball Tournament.
From September 19 to 22, 240 of the most promising under-12 boys and girls players across country Victoria will travel to Echuca Stadium for the jamboree, enhancing their games in a high-quality environment.
A week later, EMBA hosts more fierce competition, with president Lisa Baker confirming more than 1000 players across over 120 teams would take part in its annual tournament.
“I love our tournament. It’s the first tournament of the new squad season, and we get such great feedback,” Baker said.
“We’ve got some amazing courts, and we get some really good referees and teams, and it’s just a really good weekend of three days of basketball.”
This year’s edition will run from September 26 to 28, featuring numerous grades, from under-12s through to under-18s.
Also featuring a plethora of grades is EMBA’s domestic competitions, with places for those looking to try out the sport for the first time, play socially, or established players seeking more on-court opportunities.
There will be four age groups for boys, including under-12s, 14s, 16s and 18s, while girls’ grades include under-12s, 14s and 16s.
At the senior level, EMBA has three open men grades and one open women’s social grade.
An estimated 450 to 500 players are expected to compete in the domestic competitions, which finish in March and take a break during the school holidays.
Meanwhile, EMBA is also looking forward to the new Country Basketball League season, expected to begin in early October and run until early December.
The Echuca Pirates senior men’s team for 2026-27 has already been announced, the side looking to improve on a sixth-place finish last time out.
“We've got a lot of faces that have played the last season or two, which is really good, and hopefully, we just build up to having a few more wins than we did last season, and the aim is to make the finals,” Baker said.
On the prospect of a Pirates side also playing in the women’s CBL, the president said it was a “very high possibility”, with EMBA already receiving enough player interest but still needing to appoint a coach.
The 18 Junior Pirates sides taking part in the coming season — consisting of around 180 players — have already began training, with the program ranging from under-12s to under-18s.
EMBA is welcoming many new players and families at the first under-12 level, and is optimistic about how the representatives teams will perform.
“We’re very excited because we’ve got a lot of very good, experienced coaches in the division one teams this season,” Baker said.
“All age groups look quite strong, which is always exciting when we're going to the larger tournaments in Bendigo and Shepparton to see where we really do fit.”
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