On Saturday night, Frankston Basketball attended the Basketball Victoria Awards Night at the State Basketball Centre. It was a great evening celebrating our sport, with awards recognising incredible contributions across the state, from Association of the Year and Administrator of the Year through to Athlete of the Year categories.
It was also a proud night for the broader Frankston basketball community, with former Frankston Blues junior Sitaya Fagan named Basketball Victoria’s 2025 Female Junior Athlete of the Year. We’re privileged to have been part of Sitaya’s junior basketball journey and to have witnessed her development into a world-class athlete. Sitaya has continued to shine at every level, starring with the Centre of Excellence in NBL1, featuring in the silver medal-winning Australian Gems team at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup earlier this year, and recently announcing her commitment to USC, with a move to the USA ahead of Season 2027.
Among the standout moments of the night was a special achievement for our association: Tanya Thomas was named Basketball Victoria’s 2025 Inclusive Volunteer of the Year.
While Tanya is a part-time staff member at FDBA, this award recognises the enormous amount of time, heart, and energy she gives outside her usual role. Her commitment to inclusion stretches far beyond office hours, coaching, creating programs, attending events, supporting families, and advocating fiercely to ensure our inclusion pathways continue to thrive. She gives her time freely to make sure everyone has a place in basketball.
This recognition is also a reflection of Tanya’s consistency and impact over time. She has previously played a key role in helping our association be recognised at the Basketball Victoria Awards, including Inclusion Association of the Year in 2023 and 2024.
The past six months have presented an additional challenge for many of our participants and families, with FDBA being without our Bardia Avenue basketball stadium since June. This has been a significant adjustment, and maintaining participation has not always been easy, but Tanya’s leadership and advocacy have helped ensure our inclusion programs remain supported, flexible, and welcoming, even through change. Her passion continues to keep people connected to basketball when routine and familiarity have been disrupted.
Tanya has always said her mission is simple:
“To make sure that everyone can play at FDBA.”
FDBA CEO Wayne Holdsworth said, “When the Board introduced our Diversity and Inclusion pillar three years ago, it set a clear direction for FDBA. Tanya’s contribution, alongside the ongoing support of our coaches, volunteers, families and staff, has helped turn that commitment into real outcomes. In a short period of time, we have made strong progress in creating more inclusive pathways across our programs, and we’re excited about what comes next.”
Congratulations, Tanya, on this outstanding and well-deserved recognition, and congratulations to all award winners on the night.