By BACT Media Unit – 6 December 2024

With International Day of People with a Disability falling this week, Basketball ACT is excited to announce the 2025 Ivor Burge Women’s Coaching staff, and team for the Footlocker Ivor Burge Championships in Ballarat, Victoria.

The Ivor Burge Championships, set to be held in 27 January – 2 February, will see the return of the ACT Women’s team, as well as a return to competition in the 5-a-side game.

Taking the step up from Assistant Coach, Dan Ferrington will lead the team as Head Coach in 2025. When asked about his appointment, Coach Ferrington said, “I’ve been the Assistant Coach of the Ivor Burge Women’s team since 2017 and in that time have had the opportunity to be a part of many successful nationals campaigns. I’ve learnt a lot from those experiences and am excited to have the opportunity to lead as a head coach for the first time. I am most looking forward to the ACT returning to the competition after missing last year. With so many talented athletes, it is exciting for the team to be back representing our state at the national level.”

Nick Janssen and Melissa Metcraft have been named Assistant Coaches for the 2025 campaign, and will bring plenty of experience to the team, while Tanya Evans has been named Team Manager.

The Ivor Burge Women’s team, which features several current Australian Pearls players including Jasmine Funnell, Madi Janssen and Aeysha Williams, will no doubt be one of the teams to beat. Coach Ferrington highlighted this, by saying “We have a very talented group and as a team we are striving to get back on the podium in Ballarat. It is certainly something that we believe that we can achieve and I am sure we will pose some of the bigger states a significant challenge. Ultimately, my goal is to ensure the girls all have an enjoyable and enriching experience at nationals, and grow together to achieve something special. “

Congratulations to all coaches and players for their selection – we can’t wait to see you take it to them in 2025…!!!

You can keep up-to-date with information about tickets, fixtures, results, stats, streaming and standings of the 2025 Footlocker Ivor Burge National Championships, by heading to https://www.competitions.basketball/competitions/national-championships/u20-ib/