Tauranga City Basketball Association will be using a $79,745 grant from NZCT for the purchase and installation of new basketball hoops.

General manager Mark Rogers says facility space and cost is the largest single barrier to participation and limits the growth of basketball.

He says this grant from NZCT will enable them to install 24 new hoops in schools and parks across our region, plus coaching and other resources provided to ensure ongoing support.

"The installation of new hoops will have an immediate and significant impact on the community.

"It will enable us to keep costs as low as possible for our 4,500 active participants and allow non-members to access and enjoy basketball in their local community at little cost."

Mark says about 90 per cent of their members are under 18, so this grant and the hoops will provide opportunities to a large group of young people keen to play basketball, as well as feel connected to and part of their local communities.

He says New Zealand has been slow to understand the popularity of basketball both here and internationally.

"This has seen a major underinvestment in facilities to cater for demand over a period of decades. Indoor facilities are expensive to build, and the provision of outdoor hoops provides cheaper options for access to people in their local communities. TCBA also recognises the barrier travel can be to participation.

"The provision of hoops in local communities enables our communities to access facilities easily and removes one of the barriers to participation.

"Schools that have had hoops provided in the past have all communicated the positive benefits not only for their students but also the way the hoops have helped connect the school and their local community."

Basketball began in the Tauranga region in the 1930s. Various groups have been involved in developing the sport over the decades and the association in our area was formed in the 1950s.

"We provide competitions for people aged five to eighty years old, with a growing player base. 2023 will see about 100 teams entered our competitions.

"We also provide skills coaching to young people via our Navigators and development programmes as a pathway for players who wish to progress to higher levels."

The TCBA programme now covers the area from Waihi to Opotiki and has more than 4500 active members, many from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

"Our players come from many ethnic groups, including a large Polynesian percentage and over 800 confirmed Māori ballers."