Welcome to Stratford Basketball. We are committed to providing recreational and competitive basketball programs for boys and girls in the community of Stratford, Ontario. Through our programs participants will develop fundamental basketball skills and a love of the game!
Our History
The community of Stratford, Ontario has a thriving basketball program that has a rich history of developing players who love the game of basketball.
Our house league program began in the early 1990’s when two dedicated basketball-loving dads conceived and developed “Hoops for Fun.” Initially Brian Sylvester and Gary Turner filled a need for boys aged 12-16. As the name suggests the intention of the program was ‘fun’ first and the scoring and play system reflected that value. Players were encouraged to develop their basketball skills in a non-competitive environment, a format that still exists today. It didn’t take long for the Hoops for Fun program to take off and with tremendous support from volunteers and groups like the Stratford Optimist Club, the program eventually grew to support more than 300 boys and girls. Today, through the continued efforts of volunteers like John and Marg Van Ness who spearhead the program along with many others who give time, sponsorship and enthusiasm the program continues to thrive.
The Stratford Revolution competitive league had similar beginnings to our recreational program. In this case Dave Hurley, recognized a need for a girls program that would support girls basketball in our local high schools. In 1993, the Stratford Sonnets began play in the former Ontario Basketball league. Though they faced tough competition from larger, urban centres in Dave’s words “they never backed down“ and thus competed successfully.
By the late 1990’s local high school teacher Henroy Bailey had developed a boys division which at that time was named the Sonics. These newly formed teams also faced uphill battles in competition in their early years but persevered, gaining confidence and the ability to compete with other OBA teams.
In 2007 a merger occurred between the Hoops for Fun program and the competive teams forming one umbrella organization known as Stratford Optimist Basketball Association. The Stratford Optimist played a critical sponsorship role in launching basketball in Stratford enabling both programs to grow. With their support along with the tireless volunteers who lent vast amounts of their time and in some cases finances to support the teams, a solid basketball base was formed in Stratford.
Today, the Stratford Revolution has a strong base of male and female basketball players, who are supported by a new group of volunteers who are just as passionate about basketball as their predecessors. Stratford Revolution teams regularly compete and experience success at local tournaments, and OBA sanctioned events including the Ontario Finals. These teams are supported by an active Board of Directors with a clear vision and firm plan for the future growth of basketball in Stratford.
