Secondary schools national basketball event offers 'gaming' to athletes

Over 850 secondary school students will descend on Palmerston North next week to compete at the SAS Secondary Schools National Basketball Championships, beginning on Monday 26 September.

Basketball New Zealand Chief Executive Iain Potter says at the event every player will be able to review, tag and share video highlights and statistics of their games through an online service called Glory League, which combines the culture of gaming with the culture of sport.

"Glory League gives participants the chance to have their basketball games video recorded, so they can revisit the footage off-court, but through an interactive version of the same game. Initiatives like Glory League adds to the experience of basketball and its helping shape the future of the sport, especially at a community level." says Potter.

Potter says Basketball New Zealand has also helped fund Glory League into Canterbury and Auckland, but ultimately they want to see Glory League linked into every basketball stadium in New Zealand. To encourage participation, Glory League is being offered free to all teams at the Secondary Schools Nationals.

Founder and CEO of Glory League, Louis Gordon-Latty, says its easy to use.

"All players need to do is show up and play. After their game, every player is automatically emailed a notification to access an interactive video of their game and their personal highlights.

"Players generally like watching themselves succeeding. With Glory League all of these great success moments are available to comment on, share, and relive. We know that on average each player has about five to ten of these moments per game.

"Players appreciate that the quality of the film because it gives a professional-broadcast feel to the games and is stat enriched. Its also gamified through aspects like leaderboards, a virtual currency called Glory Points, and other competitive aspects that give it competitive elements," says Gordon-Latty.

Sport Manawatu Chief Executive Trevor Shailer says they helped fund the installation of Glory League because its appealing to the local sporting community.

"We were attracted to the potential for Glory League to increase engagement in sports in our community, and to add value to the range of national secondary school tournaments that are held in our region. Its forward thinking and we know from looking at examples in North Harbour and Christchurch that people love it. I think its going to be very popular here."

The SAS Secondary Schools National Basketball Championships begin on 26 September at Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North.

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand