By Emily Chapman Laing
Impressive players are emerging from Little Crete Basketball Club, and they’re being noticed.
In 2022, the club had three girls get picked for the FIBA World Cup, where they played in Jordan and Guam.
Nine girls were selected for State Trials this year, seven of whom are still holding spots in the top 34.
Another 5 girls were placed in the state development program.
With 50 per cent of their players being female, Little Crete Basketball Club has become a beacon for girls in sport.
“We attract a lot of female players because they look up to these girls,” Little Crete founder Raihania Bradey said.
“They all started like everyone else, but they just have that natural sisterhood together.
“They all help each other aim higher.
“And it’s never a competition. They’re together and they support each other.”
Little Crete Basketball Club began seven years ago with a few Polynesian players after Raihania saw a need in her community for a more family-centred club.
“It all started when my son wanted to play,” Raihania said.
“So we just got a few boys from around our street.
“We got them all playing together and it kind of snowballed from there.
“There was a huge need for it because what we were finding [was that] there were a lot of children coming over from New Zealand or from the islands, and sometimes it’s hard to fit into someone else’s community.”
The club has since grown to around 500 players spread across 42 teams, from Under 8s to adult men’s and women’s teams.
Raihania attributes this incredible success to the culture of the club, which according to the club website, “takes the meaning of family orientated to the next level”.
“We celebrate our kids,” Raihania said.
“We’re all about seeing how far [the kids] can come.”
Little Crete’s values of inclusion, safety, support and belonging have seen children from a multitude of backgrounds flock to the club.
One important distinction that Little Crete makes about its approach is that players are not separated based on skill level.
“We always try to have development players on our A-grade teams,” Raihania said.
“We might get a child that doesn’t know how to play basketball.
“We put them with the players that [do know how to play], so then they get onto those skills a lot earlier than a lot of kids that will start on a team where they don’t have players that can play.
“When children feel like they’ve succeeded, then they’re more likely to stay, they’re more likely to love the game.”
The family approach extends to the parents of Little Crete players as well.
“We encourage everyone to come and support all of the children,” Raihania said.
“At finals time, it’s like the biggest party you could ever see.
“We all wear red, and that’s not even our team colour.
“We wear red to stand out so then the kids can see us supporting them, and knowing that we’ve got their back.”
Raihania encourages all children to come down and give Little Crete a try.
She says the benefits are too good to pass up.
“It’s feeling part of something. You feel supported and when you feel supported, you succeed.
“You learn new skills that keep you fit, teach you how to work with others, teach you how to speak and lead.
“We have always believed that if a child feels included, safe, secure and not judged, this will ultimately translate not only into their game but will help improve their self-confidence, pride and their feeling of belonging.”
