MOVE over footy and soccer. You've just been slam dunked as the most popular Victorian team sport by basketball.
While sitting round the oval in cars and beeping the horn on a cold winter's day might be an institution in country Victoria, a new one might be emerging.
Pie eaters might think it is dribble, but more Victorians play basketball than Aussie Rules or soccer according to statistics released by the Australian Sports Commission.
Basketball Victoria Country general manager David Huxtable said while the figures were not broken down into city and country, he believed they would reflect what was happening across the regions.
He said the sport's popularity had exploded in Hamilton.
About 10 per cent of the town's population of 10,000 play basketball.
And in Wonthaggi, 675 players are registered and play in a stadium which has just one court.
Mr Huxtable said while most people played for fun, there was the chance to take the sport further.
"Of the 24 members of the under 17 squad going to Germany later this year, five are from country Victoria, and the male team's coach is also from regional Victoria," he said.
