Ballarat accommodation squeeze with soccer, basketball tournaments

Two high-profile junior tournaments, in basketball and soccer, will collide for the first time on the King's Birthday long weekend and are already stretching the city's accommodation to the limit.

It's estimated the combined tournaments will bring at least 10,000 people to the city, predominantly young families, in what will offer a basic logistical taste for what Ballarat might expect in less than three years time for the Commonwealth Games.

The June long weekend has long been the domain of Basketball Ballarat's junior tournament, one of the biggest winter drawcards for the city. Entries are on track to hit record numbers for the tournament's 50^th running.

At the same time, Ballarat and District Soccer Association secured the Country Leagues Football Association junior tournament, better known as the Victorian country championships.

This is an event Ballarat has not hosted in almost a decade and since then, the organising body has ruled the championships must run on the June long weekend.

BDSA president Herman Bogers and Basketball Ballarat chief executive Neville Ivey agreed this was an important opportunity for junior soccer, especially after City of Ballarat's extensive pitch upgrades. But it would create a squeeze.

"There will be learning curves," Mr Bogers said.

"People will have to be creative with accommodation bookings. We've had details out for more than 12 months and notified nearby areas.

"Some teams will have to travel and that's no different for a lot of sport, but I think this could be a real positive for the city."

The King's Birthday holiday, June 12, creates the state's next long weekend after Easter - a typically quiet season in Ballarat.

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The soccer tournament will draw under-11 to under-18 teams from Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Geelong, Gippsland, La Trobe, Shepparton and Warrnambool regions.

Similarly, Ballarat Basketball's junior tournament is club-based, with about 3000 players tipped to be in action from across metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria and South Australia.

Mr Ivey said basketball's advantage was hosting an annual club-based event, with people booking accommodation well in advance.

"We understand and respect that decision [the soccer must be the same long weekend]," Mr Ivey said. "From our perspective, it will create challenges for accommodation but we think the town will respond well."

Mr Ivey said Basketball Ballarat had liaised with City of Ballarat in the past about accommodation, in particular the need for more family-style stays.

City of Ballarat community well-being director Matthew Wilson said accommodation capacity was always a major factor in coordinating the City's events calendar. Mr Wilson said dispersing events was "as important" as the types of events the City sought to attract.

He said soccer organisers approached the city with clear knowledge accommodation would be in high demand for what was traditionally a busy period in Ballarat.

"In this case we supported organisers to identify accommodation in surrounding areas to help cater for the demand," Mr Wilson said. "We look forward to both events highlighting Ballarat as a sporting destination and showcasing the substantial investment in our sporting infrastructure and facilities."

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