Hoops hope to spark basketball fun
Outdoor hoops are set to be installed in schools across Hawke’s Bay as part of a bid to spread basketball in the region.
The Hoops in Schools scheme aims to address the lack of suitable facilities at schools and support growth of the sport by placing more basketball hoops on school grounds.
Tamatea High School and Mayfair School were the first two schools to benefit from the initiative, with local basketball talents Jarrod Kenny and Rosie Samia attending the opening event on Monday.
Hawke’s Bay Basketball general manager Chris McIvor said while basketball is the fastest growing sport among young people in the region, some schools struggle with a lack of fit-for-purpose outdoor hoops.
“The essence of the programme is to make sure that there is equipment for young people to play basketball in their communities and are able to easily access it any time they want to,” he said.
“The biggest challenge is that because basketball is the most popular amongst the lower deprivation communities, that is where the need is for equipment.”
McIvor said basketball in Hawke’s Bay has seen 24 per cent growth in playing numbers from last year among young people.
“Once you put a hoop in a school, it creates a sense of community and people start to gather around it and play a lot more basketball,” he added.
Students at Tamatea High School and Mayfair School were given Kiwi Hoops kits, before Kenny and Samia oversaw a basketball coaching session.
McIvor said the children at both schools enjoyed having some recognisable faces taking their PE lesson.
“Having role models come into schools and speaking about their journeys and where they are heading always engages the children,” he said.
“And the kids really enjoyed the coaching sessions as well. It was fantastic.”
The initiative, one of multiple ongoing schemes undertaken by Hawke’s Bay Basketball, looks to amend the lack of suitable facilities, in the hope of creating more sustainable, long-term opportunities for the region’s youth to participate and play basketball.
McIvor said Hoops in Schools is a tall order.
“This is one of a number of programmes to get more people on the court, but the difference with this initiative is that we are putting hoops into schools which is a big undertaking,” he said.
“We just hope that more kids get the bug and begin to play the sport as a result.”
Kimi Ora School, in Flaxmere, will be the third and final school to partake in the scheme, on Tuesday.