Geraldton makes its bid to secure Perth Wildcats regular season games at Activewest Stadium

The Perth Wildcats have put a call out to the regions in a bid to offer regular season games to be played and hosted in country WA and Geraldton has answered.

The change could happen as early as next season with a shake-up to the NBL fixtures looming.

New Wildcats owner Mark Arena wants to provide the regions with an opportunity to host regular season games giving regional centres the incentive to upgrade their facilities for the locals.

Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association director Andrew Horstman said the excitement was building as the possibility of hosting the Wildcats loomed large.

“Super excited, you think about the likes of Bryce Cotton potentially being in our own backyard doing what he does best,” he said.

The GABA and Geraldton Buccaneers added four new courts to their impressive facilities in 2022, opening the door to more opportunities to grow the game in the Mid West.

Horstman said the facilities that Geraldton offered would show the Wildcats just how much of a love for the game there was in the Mid West.

“We have had exhibition games here previously, which have been extremely successful,” he said.

“With the addition of the new four courts out the back, it opens us up to create some new opportunities.

“We try and use the NBL1 games hosted here as a vehicle, as an opportunity to inspire the next generation.”

Mid West Academy of Sport high performance coach and Geraldton basketball legend Dan Hunt said this opportunity would mean Mid West locals would not have to travel to Perth as usual to watch a game live.

“For them to come up here and showcase their skills allows locals the change to not have to travel, anytime that happens we’re on a winner,” Hunt said.

Hunt said the games would provide young guns coming up through the ranks the chance to watch high performing athletes first hand, subsequently growing the game.

“We’ve got some young guns coming through that are very talented, so for them to come up and to watch it, hopefully it inspires them to see where they could end up one day,” he said.

“If the Mid West Academy of Sport is involved, I would love to implement some sort of mentoring program while the Wildcats are up here for our juniors coming through.”

Hunt said it would also show Geraldton’s young talent what it took to make it at the top level.

“What these guys have to do to prepare for a game, for a season, mentally, diet-wise, the whole lot is super important for our athletes to understand what you have to do to get to the top level,” he said.

“It’s not just turning up and working hard at practice.

“There’s a lot more that goes into these guys being successful.”

Regional towns in WA have been urged by the Perth Wildcats and Arena to make their bid for why they should host Wildcats games in their own backyards.