United welcomed back to Ballarat

Melbourne United have been welcomed back to Ballarat with open arms for the first day of their preseason training camp.

Arriving on Monday afternoon ahead of their huge clash with the Brisbane Bullets on Thursday evening at Selkirk Stadium, the team got straight into engaging with the community, running junior clinics with local basketball players.

Speaking to the media at the clinics, Head Coach Dean Vickerman said he was excited to be back in the region and is looking forward to the rest of the training camp.

“It’s early stage of preseason for us, this will be our first hit out against another NBL team in playing Brisbane on Thursday night.

“A big part of (this training camp) is about getting back engaged with the community as well. It’s something during COVID that we didn’t get to do a lot of, so we want to make sure that it’s something we do a lot of this year. Getting to do that in Ballarat and other regional areas is fantastic.

“My hope is that we really enjoy this (camp) and that we see some areas of improvement coming back for next year but if we could have an annual camp in Ballarat I’d certainly be for it.”

Star import guard Rayjon Tucker echoed his coach's sentiments, adding that he can’t wait to get on the court for his first hit-out in United colours in front of the Ballarat fans.

“I’m super excited. I’m one that loves the community, loves the kids, so I’m super excited to indulge in everything Ballarat has to offer.

“The fans are like our sixth man, they bring the energy, the enthusiasm, they make us play harder, so just to be back where we can engage with the fans and they can engage with us, it’s a big deal for not only us but for them as well.”

Tickets for Thursday’s game  are on sale NOW! Be sure to get in quick, as seats are expected to fill-up quickly! Melbourne United Members will receive a 20% discount on their tickets via their email, adding even more value to United’s full season, five and three game memberships.