Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) is excited to announce that its popular Quest Tour – which sees the fast-growing sport of 3×3 basketball played across six locations around New Zealand – with the free event set to return in early 2022 over three exciting months.
The 3×3 Quest Tour welcomes the return of Youthtown, who comes onboard in 2022 as naming rights sponsor. Youthtown is a nationally operated, not for profit organisation that delivers programmes aimed to unlock each young person’s potential. They operate from schools, community centres/clubrooms, as well as their own sites across New Zealand in order to be as accessible to the community as possible.
Youthtown CEO, Fay Amaral says that the tour gives young kiwis the opportunity to participate in New Zealand’s fastest-growing sport in a safe, organised and fun environment.
“Youthtown is proud to once again be associated with the 3×3 Basketball Quest Tour – basketball is in our DNA and very much a part of the heart of Youthtown,” says Amaral.
“We celebrate our support to the Tour and also our 90th Year in 2022, so it could not be more fitting!”
Also returning for the 2022 Quest Tour is long-standing sponsor Mai FM, who has played an important role is helping the event grow and be seen across the country.
The first Youthtown 3×3 Quest Tour event tips off on Saturday 15 January 2022 at The Trusts Arena in Henderson, Auckland, with the tour travelling to Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin before returning to Auckland for the last of the regional events and the Quest Final.
BBNZ General Manager Events, David Huxford describes the upcoming tour as a fun-filled and free community event with ‘a friendly atmosphere and plenty of exciting basketball action’.
“This is the ninth time we’ll be running the 3×3 tour in New Zealand and it’s something we enjoy rolling out across the community for all ages and levels of ability,” says Huxford.
“The event is open to under 15, under 17, under 19, and Open age-groups in both men’s and women’s categories, all free to enter.
“And the winners of the Open Men’s Grade at any of the regional events are eligible to play in the World Tour Qualifier Final – with the winning team from that Final rewarded with an all-expenses paid trip to compete at a FIBA 3×3 World Tour event.
“It’s an amazing prize and an incredible experience for people who have won this in the past; players find themselves playing in a globally-elite 3×3 environment, competing against some of the world’s best talent.”
Huxford says that anyone is invited to come along to either participate in or watch the basketball action, provided they agree to the Covid restrictions in place.
“We’ll have rules in place to keep both the participants and spectators safe in this Covid environment, but in accordance with guidance from Sport NZ and the Government we’ll be mandating that all eligible participants are fully vaccinated for these events and have a vaccine passport.”
Quest Tour Dates (2022)
Sat 15 Jan Auckland-West; The Trusts Arena, Henderson
Sun 23 Jan Tauranga; Trust Power Arena, Baypark
Sat 29 Jan Wellington; Odlins Plaza, Wellington Waterfront
Sat 12 Feb Christchurch; Hagley Park Netball Courts
Sun 20 Feb Dunedin; The Octagon, Dunedin
Sat 26 Feb Auckland-North; Eventfinda Stadium, Wairau Valley
Sat 12 March Quest Final, Eventfinda Stadium, Wairau Valley**
* This is the World Tour Qualifier Final and is only open to the Open Men’s teams that qualified at one of the above 6 regional events. No other grades will play at this event.
What is the Quest 3×3 Tour?
3×3, also known as street ball or street basketball, is a form of basketball played three a side on one hoop. It is the largest urban team sport in the world with over 250 million players worldwide and is ranked among the most played recreational sports on the planet.
3×3 basketball is increasingly becoming an important influence in the development of basketball worldwide; this year 3×3 debuted at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Japan and it will also debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The 3×3 Quest Tour events are endorsed by FIBA as Quest events, which means players will receive the maximum points for playing; the more events played, the more ranking points are earned. Players participating in past tours have also caught the eye of New Zealand national selectors, as they look to identify talent for New Zealand representative 3×3 sides to compete at international 3×3 events.
Find out more at nz.basketball/3×3/3×3-quest-tour
How to Register
Players will need to create and set up an official FIBA 3×3 profile at play.fiba3x3.com. Once this is done they can search for 3×3 events in their area, register for events and play in the tour.
About Youthtown
Youthtown are a nationally operated, not-for-profit organisation focused on empowering the young people of Aotearoa New Zealand to be the best they can be.
They run programmes and programme spaces across the country for 5-18 year-olds that aim to inspire and promote the learning of life skills, working collaboratively, understanding and building resilience and unlocking potential. This is all done with the aim of seeing empowered young people, engaged in their communities.
Youthtown programmes are delivered before, during and after school and also in the school holidays. They work with young people, parents and caregivers, schools and community groups and you can find us in key communities right across the country.
Find out more at youthtown.org.nz
