They’ve got the players, they’ve got the passion – now the Tamborine Mountain Wolves just need a place to hang their jerseys.
The Tamborine Mountain Basketball Association (TMBA) is riding a wave of local interest in the sport, with more than 150 players registered and increasing demand from both juniors and adults.
But as Wolves President Ben Norling explains, growing a club without a permanent home court presents real challenges.
“We’re very fortunate to have access to the courts at Tamborine Mountain High School and the local state schools,” Mr Norling said.
“But they aren’t fully compliant for competitive basketball- some are concrete, which isn’t ideal for kids, and others lack proper runoff. Understandably, school activities and the weather often take priority, which limits our access.”
Since taking on the president role in August, Mr Norling initiated the club’s first formal strategy to set clear priorities – starting with local programs.
“People want to play basketball here on the mountain. That means more clinics, holiday camps, and social games,” he said.
“The second priority was good coaching, and third was financial support for families who might otherwise miss out.”
At the heart of the plan is a long-term goal: a dedicated indoor facility, proposed as part of the TMSA masterplan at Long Road.
“We call it the Wolf Den. A multi-court space would give us somewhere to host training, run our own comps, and a place to hang banners of our competition wins,” Mr Norling said.
It would also allow the Wolves to meet growing interest in adult social competitions and community events.
“We’ve got parents, especially dads, lined up just wanting to play,” he said.
“But we’re at capacity. We just don’t have the court space.”
TMBA recently met with Scenic Rim Regional Council to push for support on the project and ensure the club is “shovel-ready” for future funding rounds.
“We’re realistic. We know it won’t happen overnight, but we want to be ready when the opportunity comes,” Mr Norling said.
“We’re raising $40,000 a year just to keep things running. Imagine what we could do with a home.”
Mr Norling said the vision for the next five years includes growing to over 200 members and hosting competitions that bring visitors and economic benefits to the mountain.
“It’s not just about basketball,” he said.
“It’s about creating something the whole community can get behind.”
