THE Coffs Harbour Basketball community will play the game they love to help raise awareness of domestic violence.

The Ball Against Domestic Violence 3×3 Tournament is set to be held on Sunday, 4 December at Sportz Central.

The day will feature 3×3 basketball teams playing off in a number of divisions, including a competition featuring emergency services personnel.

All proceeds from the event will go to Wesley Mission, who support children, families, or the elderly who struggle with homelessness, addiction, mental health, financial or domestic challenges.

The day gets underway from 9am with the junior age divisions (10 & Under, 12 & Under, 14 & Under, and 16 & Under), before the seniors play off from 1.30pm with the Open Men, Open Women, and Emergency Services divisions.

Region Domestic and Family Violence Coordinator, NSW Police Force, Kiah Bowen, explained the importance of the 3×3 Tournament in bringing to light domestic violence.

“The importance of the event is to keep domestic and family violence in the forefront of the minds of our community,” she said.

“The aim is to continue conversations around domestic and family violence, normalising discussions of what healthy relationships look like, and for people to be aware of what support services are in our local area that could help someone break free of unhealthy relationships.

“I also encourage the community to report instances of domestic and family violence to police, as it is no longer something that should stay behind closed doors – it is everyone’s business.

“There is no excuse for abuse in our community.”

The inaugural Ball Against Domestic Violence 3×3 Tournament was held last December after a number of postponements due to COVID restrictions.

Cost is $120 per team to enter this year’s tournament, and you can register for the event at 3x3hustle.com/events.

By Aiden BURGESS