BASKETBALL Ballarat will implement strict new rules around attendances on Friday nights at Selkirk Stadium to stop louts causing issues, which has become common place in recent weeks.
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A number of new measures will come into place this Friday night after a spate of incidents, including last week where police were called twice on one evening, to deal with anti-social behaviour - mainly from teenage groups.
The new rules will mean that no friends of players will be allowed to watch unless they are accompanied by family members, while children will not be granted any access to the stadium if they are not due to play.
Basketball Ballarat will also have security posted at entrance areas at both Selkirk Stadium and the Minerdome while exit doors giving access to the outside courts at Selkirk will be off-limits, unless in the case of an emergency.
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These rules are just some of a range of measures that Basketball Ballarat says it has been forced to put in place to guarantee the safety of players and family members.
Basketball Ballarat chief executive Neville Ivey said he was disappointed to have to put the measures in, adding it was mostly outside groups, rather than basketball players, that were causing the issues.
"There was a couple of nasty incidents with youths from different schools picking fights and things like that," Mr Ivey said.
"These are kids that are not there to play basketball. They rock up, they sit around, they vape, they tag in the toilets.
"We've put measures in place regarding who can come in and who can't, but we found, particularly last week, there were a number of fights - we had to call the police twice.
"We've put on a security person at Selkirk Stadium. That was working beautifully, he does a great job, but as we've seen the anti-social behaviour escalate in recent weeks, it's become very difficult on him as he cannot remove people. The groups we are talking about here have no respect for authority."
Other initiatives to be put in place include patrons will need to be in courtside seating or travelling to and from the canteen in the foyer.
Staff have also been instructed to ask patrons to return to their seats if they are milling around the foyer, or leave the premises.
Players will also only be able to enter the stadium 15 minutes prior to their game time.
Mr Ivey said while Basketball Ballarat wanted to ensure a vibrant stadium, it would not be at the expense of the safety of parents and grandparents.
He said at this stage the rules would only be in place on Friday nights, but would constantly be reviewed.
"We want it to be a vibrant place where people can come and watch games, but we don't want our parents and players to be intimidated."
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