Taken from the 2011 Basketball Queensland Annual Report, presented to the board and Basketball Queensland members at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday 24 June, 2012.

I have pleasure in presenting my Chairman’s report for 2011.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Scott Derwin who resigned as Chair in October 2011 for
the leadership he demonstrated as Chair of Basketball Queensland. Whilst he will be missed by
Basketball Queensland, he has not been lost to the sport as he is now a Board member of
Basketball Australia.
2011 presented the Board with some very significant challenges with three associations severely
affected by the January floods. The Board, realising the significant impact that this would have
on the ongoing operations of these associations and therefore the subsequent impact on BQ,
released much needed funds (over $100,000) to enable the associations to continue to function while working hard to return to normal operations. I am very proud of the fact that all of the
affected associations are back on their feet. This event demonstrates why it is important for us asa State governing body to maintain a surplus of funds.
We also took on a considerable project in contracting a research unit from the University of
Queensland to review our competitions and development pathways. This project took many
months and a lot of effort to complete which has resulted in the adoption of a new High
Performance Plan. I would like to thank those Associations and individuals who contributed to the
development of this plan. The plan is well regarded nationally and has been used as the model
for other States and Territories as they also revamp their development pathways.
Whilst we continue to lead the nation in the number of National Basketball League teams with
three (3) NBL and two (2) WNBL teams, an NBL team in Brisbane still eludes us. The signs remainpromising for the not too distant future, but we still have a few hurdles to jump before this can get over the line. BQ continues to be involved with BA and other interested parties in this process. We are also hopeful that the current issues at the Gold Coast Blaze will be resolved.
We continue to get great support from the Queensland State Government and our thanks goes to the Sports Minister and the staff of Queensland Sport and Recreation.
One of our major successes for 2011 was securing six (6) grants under the Queensland
Government Jobs Plan Initiative which enabled Basketball Queensland to work in partnership with six (6) associations to employ Regional Services Managers to assist these associations and their clubs achieve increased participation which will create a platform from which to grow the sport further.
In terms of growth, our registered members grew by eight percent in 2011, which is a remarkable
effort when you consider the impact of the floods in the first quarter of the year and the overall
economic environment.
During the year we also created the position of Communications Manager to recognise the need
for BQ to professionalise our communications, including the need to utilise the social media.
We also achieved very good results financially with a surplus of $25,042. When you consider that
Basketball Queensland provided financial support to flood-affected associations this is quite an
achievement. Credit must go to our Chief Executive, Graham Burns, and his very capable staff
and for the guiding hand of our Finance Director, Ken Madsen, who has introduced a great deal
more rigor into our financial management.
I wanted to congratulate all of the hard working volunteers and staff in our network of member
associations because it is only through their efforts that we are able to achieve the results that we have.
I would also like to express my sincere thanks to my fellow board members, who work hard as
volunteers to ensure the continuing success of Basketball Queensland. This success would not;
however, be possible without the significant contribution made by our Chief Executive, Graham
Burns and his Staff. Working in sport is not without its challenges, as it is a high-pressure
environment and the hours can be very long, so we would like to express our sincere thanks to
the hard working team at Basketball Queensland.

Neil Hamilton-Smith
Basketball Queensland Chair