“Appalling” footage has captured the moment a brawl erupted among parents and children at an under-16s girls’ basketball game in Melbourne.
The shocking footage, shared by 9News, shows parents pushing and punching each other as tensions broke out at the under-16s game at Darebin Community Sports Stadium in Reservoir last Saturday.
It’s believed the fight erupted after one mum punched another in the face before dozens – including men and teens – swarmed the court.
At one point, another person appears to be stomped on by a player as others around them continue to fight.
It’s understood the Darebin and Doreen Basketball Clubs were playing at the time the brawl broke out.
Aussie basketball legend Andrew Gaze said the violent scenes were “appalling” and “disappointing”.
“When you see family members, friends and grown men running on about something they’re upset about in an under-16 girls’ game of basketball, it’s appalling,” he told 9News.
“You never like to see violence anywhere but when you are talking about a domestic game of basketball, emotions can run this high. It’s just disappointing.”
In a statement, Basketball Victoria said both teams involved had been banned for the rest of the season pending a tribunal hearing.
“Basketball Victoria and the Eastern Districts Junior Basketball Association (EDJBA) are disappointed by the behaviour displayed at the game on Saturday and the actions of a number of individuals bringing the game of basketball into disrepute,” they said in a statement shared by the outlet.
“Following initial investigations, Basketball Victoria confirms that it is in the process of issuing appropriate sanctions against a number of individuals (players, spectators, coaches and team managers) for breaches of Basketball Victoria’s code of conduct and by-laws.”
It added it was “committed to creating an environment where the community can enjoy participation in activities, events or programs without experiencing abusive, insulting, threatening or other anti-social behaviour”.