About Us

Our Club

Welcome to the East Brighton Vampires Basketball Club, where Friendship Comes First!

Our Club is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers. Our goal is to make our community-based basketball club as accessible and affordable to many local children and young adults as possible.

Our Values

The East Brighton Vampires Basketball Club understands the importance of community sport in helping shape the generation of Australians, teaching them the value of fair play and introducing them to friends they’ll have for life. Our Club’s specific values are:

 

  1. To increase grassroots participation in basketball to reduce inactivity and chronic disease, both physical and mental.
  2. Support the development of quality and inclusive basketball policies which drive health, education and equality outcomes.
  3. Use basketball to empower young people, promote equality and community-mindedness and build socio-emotional resilience.
  4. Support managers and coaches to deliver quality, child-centred basketball skills.
  5. Create an environment that fosters enjoyment, good sportsmanship and friendship for children of all abilities.

Our History

The Scalpers Basketball Club was founded in 1991. The club began with 17 teams on the roster, with the core of those players coming from the St Finbar’s Primary School. Over the years, and thanks to the generous support of many volunteers, the Club grew organically to provide a basketball home to 24 passionate and enthusiastic male and female teams.

In 2025, with overwhelming member support, our Club created a non-binding partnership with the East Brighton Vampires Junior Football Club and the East Brighton Football Club and became the East Brighton Vampires Basketball Club. Our Club achieved immediate success, with nine of our teams reaching Grand Finals and all of them winning.

Father Lou Heriot

Our Club will forever be indebted to Father Lou Heriot, an exceptional priest and caring human being who arrived at the St Finbar’s Parish in 1993 aged 66.

In addition to developing the Memorial Garden and Pioneers Wall, Father Lou supported all sports associated with St Finbar’s Primary School and parish. In 1999/2000, he offered parish funds to help pay the registration costs for all our teams at Southern Basketball Association in 1999/2000, without which our club would have folded. When approached about this financial problem, without hesitation Father Lou loaned the money interest free and said, “Pay it back as you can”.

Our Club was extremely fortunate to have had such a supporter and only exists today because of Father Lou’s unqualified generosity, so it’s only fitting that today we train in the hall named after him.