This week has seen the Hoops in Schools initiative return to the South Island, with 17 brand new outdoor hoops installed across 11 schools in the Greater Canterbury and West Coast regions.
Hoops in Schools is a BBNZ programme which partners with schools, funders, local basketball associations and other basketball providers to put more quality, fit-for-purpose hoops in schools – so that Kiwi youth are more active and having fun playing hoops in their local communities.
Daniel Dawick, Facilities and Insights Lead for BBNZ says that Hoops in Schools continues to provide sustainable opportunities for everyone to just have a go, have fun and get active.
“Basketball continues to gather momentum across Aotearoa, with more tamariki and rangatahi across the country wanting to pick up a ball and hoop with friends and whānau; but we’re often finding that many of those wanting to play are restricted by either poor access or a lack of suitable equipment,” says Dawick.
“We know the growth and popularity of the sport isn’t going to slow down, so initiatives such as Hoops in Schools and Hoops in Parks are playing their part in addressing the challenges we’ll continue to face in the future.”
The trip began on Monday in Timaru, with Dawick and national team athletes Lauryn Hippolite and Taylor Britt travelling to Timaru South School to view the new outdoor hoops and run basketball drills with the students, before heading to Ashburton to check in on Tinwald School and Hampstead School and their new setups.
On Tuesday, the group was joined by Tall Black Ethan Rusbatch in Christchurch, with five schools on the visit list; Whitau School, Ngutuawa School, Shirley Intermediate, Northcote School and St Bernadettes.
Despite the unfavourable weather, the group were happy to share their basketball journeys with the children at each stop, from Lauryn’s participation at the FIBA Asia Cup earlier this year, Taylor’s FIBA World Cup experience and winning the Sal’s NBL title this season with the Canterbury Rams, and the exciting places that basketball has taken Ethan around the world.
Also on hand in Christchurch was South Island funder Rātā Foundation, who supported the Hoops in Schools programme one-off purchase towards installing these basketball hoops – and the surrounding court areas – in low decile schools across Canterbury, with a $30,000 grant under its Participate funding area.
The sunshine returned on Wednesday, as Ethan and Dan travelled to the West Coast to visit new hoops at Ross School, Blaketown School and Greymouth High School. With the West Coast hungry for new hoops as a growing number of children turn to basketball in this region, the visits were well received by each school – with Tall Black Ethan the star attraction.
Also joining Dan and Ethan on Wednesday was Sport Canterbury, who were also funders of the Hoops in Schools project and are actively involved with schools across the greater Canterbury and West Coast regions.
Dawick says that having access to a high-quality, accessible outdoor hoop – along with a visit from some of their local basketball heroes – can provide a massive spark for Kiwi youth wanting to get into basketball or improve their skills in the sport.
“This is our first time back in the South Island for Hoops in Schools since we installed new hoops in Nelson last year – we were in Ashburton earlier this year for our Hoops in Parks initiative – and the response down here is always amazing.
“It’s an opportunity for kids to play with their friends, develop their skills and think about what basketball pathways they want to aim towards in the future – whether it be playing in college, becoming a professional player or being part of the Tall Ferns or Tall Blacks.
“And for them to see local players like Lauryn, Taylor and Ethan, and the success they’ve had on the world stage, shows them just what they could achieve in basketball with hard work and dedication.”
The instalment of these new community hoops was only made possible thanks to funding from Sport Canterbury and Rātā Foundation.
“The programme is removing barriers for children in low-decile schools to enable them to participate and develop their skills in the game of basketball, says Rātā Foundation Chief Executive, Leighton Evans.
“It levels the playing field for these schools by ensuring everyone has equitable access to what they need to thrive and ensure they are not missing out on learning opportunities that are readily available in other schools.”
Dawick says that Hoops in Schools – along with its partner Hoops in Parks – is continuing to address the growing demand for basketball across Aotearoa at a grassroots level.
“With these two initiatives combined, we’re now nearing 200 hoops that we’ve installed across New Zealand over the past several years. The momentum continues to grow, with the programmes due to installed an additional 40 new hoops across Tauranga, Kapiti and Gisborne before the end of the year.”
Find our more about Hoops in Schools at: https://nz.basketball/get-involved/hoopsinschools/
