ABA 2025: Basketball season set to tip off as Tim Turnbull takes the reins aiming to keep clubs up to scratch

The new basketball season tips off at Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre next week with more than 200 teams set to hit the court. The 2025-26 season starts on October 13 with women’s and men’s A-grade action starting the following night. New Albany Basketball Association president Tim Turnbull is hoping to build on the sterling work of predecessor Darren Berry and keep participation levels as strong as they have been in the past. Turnbull said a tweak to the competition’s rules means that players must now belong to a club — there’s no place anymore for scratch teams. “We have had a softly, softly approach for the last couple of years but it’s time now to say you must compete through a club,” he said. “You can’t just make up your own team; we are hoping to promote a good, healthy club competition.” It’s the 71st year of the ABA competition with a total of 226 teams registered, 165 of which are junior sides competing across five age groups. The 61 senior sides include the six men’s A-grade teams and four women’s. One men’s A-grade side is no more, as Ambassadors have folded, but from their ashes have come Railways Tigers, with a core of players from Ambassadors and Kangas, who Turnbull expects will pose a competitive threat. In the women’s A-grade, Sonics Blue and Grey have combined to form one team and will play in a four-team division which is completed by Denmark Magpies, Barking Owls and Railways Tigers. There were not enough under-18 girls to run a Raiders team this season. In the B-grade, there will be four men’s teams — including vets — and three women’s. There are 10 affiliated clubs. Turnbull is hoping his presidency will keep up Berry’s good work, with, hopefully, another showcase game in Albany to build on the success of last season’s NBL1 West double header which brought the Redbacks and Perry Lakes Hawks to the city. “We are looking into it,” he said. “It’s a big project and we would love to do it again, so we are just going to keep working to make it happen.” Berry has stepped back from committee duties so he can concentrate on coaching and signed off in style after being awarded Basketball WA’s prestigious Arthur McRobbie Award in August. The award honours outstanding service to basketball in WA and Berry was chuffed to be the recipient. “It’s a real honour just to be nominated because you don’t go into these things to be rewarded, you do it for the sake of the sport and the love of the game,” he said.