Northland Basketball general manager Josh Port (left) and chairman Dave Davies-Colley install a basketball hoop at Kensington Netball Centre. Photo / Tania Whyte
Northland Basketball general manager Josh Port (left) and chairman Dave Davies-Colley install a basketball hoop at Kensington Netball Centre. Photo / Tania Whyte
Northland Basketball's 100 Hoops Campaign might be band-aid over a much bigger problem, but it is a step in the right direction - making the sport a bit more accessible to the community.
General manager Josh Port says the installation of hoops opens a world of possibility for anyone in Northland who is interested in the sport.
The entire $130,000 project – installation of 100 hoops, 60 backboards and some specially-designed pole systems depending on the community needs – has been made possible by donations from GameSide NZ, GrassRoots Trust, Oxford Sports Trust, Sports Northland, and community fundraisers.
The idea of installing hoops came from the community feedback on Northland Basketball's annual survey.
Port said the majority of people who responded pointed towards availability of hoops, distance, and lack of spaces to practise the sport as the biggest barriers to engaging with the sport.
Northland Basketball is making the sport more accessible for communities by installing 100 hoops across the region. Photo / Tania Whyte
Port estimated there were fewer than 20 hoops for public use that weren't broken from Te Hana to Cape Reinga before the project commenced. So far, the project had installed 62 hoops.
"The actual number of functional – being able to use – hoops in Northland was sitting at about 11.
"We are the number one sport in Northland in terms of participation, but we have the least number of facilities – apart from hockey – to be able to play the sport.
"Us going out in the community and installing hoops has shifted that slightly.
"People won't be able to play if it's raining or too sunny, and we can't hold competitions, and so it is a band-aid over a lot bigger problem ... but it is a step in the right direction."
Port said the community should not have to come to Northland Basketball to be able to engage in the sport, they should be able to do it in their own areas.
Port said there were many reasons why basketball continued to be a comparatively inaccessible sport – the biggest being the massive competition for time in indoor spaces.
"Basketball usually happens behind closed doors and we are not the only sport using indoor facilities.
"In Northland, there are 17 indoor basketball courts for public use, that are also used by many schools.
"Being able to go out and practise, or even put up some shots or dribble, is vital to getting better. But the availability of courts for anything but competition is very limited because we are competing for space with other sports, schools, events, etc"
Northland Basketball has been all around Northland installing hoops for the region's communities. Photo / Tania Whyte
The strategic locations for the 100 loops were decided by the community, sub-associations, Sport Northland, Northland Regional Council, Far North District Council, Whangārei District Council and Kaipara District Council.
"We ended up getting 200 locations from the community."
One of the most popular locations that came out of the discussions was marae, Port said.
"We have installed 19 hoops at different marae across the region with an idea that a marae is a meeting place, home for a lot of people in the area and a place people keep going back to.
"We wanted to get in with marae because we know it is a special place not just for Māori, but many people who live in the area."
