Ballarat is set to become the sporting hub of regional Victoria in January, hosting a range of events across the city that showcase the city's amazing sporting facilities.
A total of seven different events will draw thousands of visitors to the city, highlighting Ballarat's reputation as a sports event destination.
The diverse mixture features traditional sports such as cricket, lawn bowls and basketball, with others that people might not be as familiar with, including underwater hockey, canoe polo and disc golf.
All events are supported by the City of Ballarat and will be held over four action-packed weeks.
In total, the events will bring about 2000 competitors to Ballarat plus families, friends and supporters, with many staying for up to a week.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said attracting the wide variety of events highlighted Ballarat's reputation as the sports events capital of regional Victoria.
"We are thrilled to be able host these sporting events over the summer school holiday period as Ballarat becomes a hive of activity," she said.
"We have invested heavily in sport over many years to not only benefit our local clubs and athletes, but also make our facilities attractive options to host events like these.
"Having thousands of additional visitors in the city will provide a welcome boost to many of our hospitality and accommodation businesses."
The action will begin on Friday, 6 January with the Cricket Australia Under 16 Women's Cricket Championships, concluding with the Basketball Australia Under 20 National Championships, which runs from Tuesday 28 January to Sunday 2 February.
Ballarat's blockbuster January of sports
Cricket Australia Under 16 Women's Cricket Championship, 6-13 January
The event will pit state against state and bring more than 200 competitors, plus coaches, officials and spectators to the city over eight days.
All matches will be played on turf wickets, including: Eastern Oval, Frank Bourke Oval, CE Brown Reserve, Alfredton Reserve, Western Oval, Mt Clear Recreation Reserve, Buninyong Community Facility, Russell Square, and St Patrick's College.
The Ballarat Cricket Association will play a crucial role in supporting the championships along with local cricket clubs East Ballarat, Mt Clear, Ballarat-Redan, Buninyong, Golden Point, North Ballarat, Wendouree, and Brown Hill.
Bowls Victoria Region Sides Bowls Championships, 10-12 January
More than 200 bowlers from around Victoria will converge on Ballarat, each vying to be crowned state champions.
The event will include 16 regions from around the state, with each region selecting a representative team of 14 players to compete across the three days.
The host venues are Sebastopol Bowls Club, Webbcona Bowls Club, Victoria Bowling Club, and Central Wendouree Bowling Club.
Disc Golf - Golden City Classic, 11 and 12 January
The two-day event is one of the biggest disc golf tournaments hosted throughout Australia.
The Golden City Classic will see about 160 competitors take to the two disc golf courses in Ballarat.
Day one will be hosted at the Victoria Park Disc Golf Course, with day two to be held at the new Mt Xavier Disc Golf Course.
Australian Underwater Hockey National Championships, 12-19 January
To be hosted at the Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre, this event is the highest-level competition within Australia for underwater hockey.
But what is underwater hockey? Well, it is exactly as it sounds. Most of the action takes place at the bottom of the pool, with competing teams trying to score as many goals as possible without using a breathing apparatus.
The event will involve round robin and finals in both senior and junior divisions, involving about 250 competitors.
The Ballarat Regatta, 18 January
About 650 rowers will take to Lake Wendouree, with school and club crews from throughout Victoria competing.
The event is the first of a busy weekend on the water for the lake.
Canoe Polo Victorian Interclub, 19 January
Canoe Polo will return to Lake Wendouree for just the second time, following the staging of the National Canoe Polo Championships in April 2023.
Canoe Polo is essentially a highly-physical version of water polo only with players competing in canoes.
This event is round four of the Victorian Canoe Polo Interclub competition and is expecting about 80 competitors from across Victoria.
Basketball Australia Under 20 National Championships, 28-2 February
Selkirk Stadium is set to host some of Australia's most promising basketballers during the Under 20 and Ivor Burge National Championships.
The Under 20 championships will showcase the next generation of professional basketballers, while the Ivor Burge championships are for athletes with an intellectual disability to represent their state and vie for a national title.
Across the championships we can expect to see 336 athletes competing, with more than 3500 people attending the championships.
