The Dolly's Dream Warragul Junior Tournament

Earlier in February, the Dolly’s Dream Warragul Junior Invitational brought together young athletes from right across Victoria for the largest tournament ever held by the Warragul Basketball Association.

With an incredible 379 games played, more than 2,250 junior basketballers, and 200 teams competing across the weekend, the atmosphere was electric. But beyond the scoreboards and buzzer beaters, something even more powerful was happening – a shared commitment to kindness, respect and positive behaviour in junior sport.

In partnership with Dolly’s Dream, WBA introduced a new Behavioural Management Framework across different age groups, setting a clear standard for how players, coaches, officials and spectators should treat one another.

The goal is simple:

• Protect young athletes
• Support referees and officials
• Champion respect on and off the court

Because junior sport should be a safe, positive environment where kids can grow in confidence, build friendships and thrive – not one where negative behaviour takes the spotlight.

One of the most special moments from the weekend came at each Grand Final, where referees presented the Dolly’s Dream #BeKind Sportsmanship Award.

This award recognised one player from each game who truly embodied kindness, respect and good sportsmanship on the court. These small moments of recognition send a big message to young people: how you play – and how you treat others – matters just as much as the final score.

It was also fantastic to see Kate Wilson, Mayor of Baw Baw Shire Council, present an award on Sunday, reinforcing just how important this movement is for our local sporting communities.

We’re incredibly proud to see grassroots sport stepping up and leading the way in promoting kindness and positive behaviour. When clubs and associations take a stand like this, it helps create safer, more supportive environments for young people – not just on the court, but in everyday life too.

As Shane Metz, Dolly’s Dream Partnerships Specialist, shared:

“Dolly's Dream was proud to partner with the Warragul Basketball Association for the inaugural 2026 Dolly's Dream Warragul Invitational. As an organisation dedicated to preventing bullying and creating kinder communities, supporting a regional community sporting event that is heavily focused on introducing a Behaviour Management Framework is the ideal partnership and shared values to increase awareness to promote change.”

A huge thank you to the Warragul Basketball Association for leading the way and setting a new standard for behaviour in junior sport. We love partnering with organisations that put young people first.

We’d love to hear from you. Reach out to our Partnerships team at partnerships@dollysdream.org.au and let’s work together to create kinder sporting communities.