Ahead of the second annual World Basketball Day, the Hoopsfix Foundation has launched BasketballCourtsNear.me (BCNM), an innovative, community-driven platform set to become the most comprehensive database of outdoor basketball courts in the United Kingdom.
BCNM empowers players and fans to discover and rate basketball courts across the UK, helping spotlight the unique qualities of each location and identify areas for improvement.
While some UK courts offer vibrant community spaces, many facilities need attention to reach their full potential – whether it’s enhancing court size, updating line markings, improving surfaces, or upgrading baskets and backboards.
As it grows, BCNM will be a powerful data resource to help local players put pressure on councils to properly invest in grassroots basketball facilities, influence government policy around outdoor sports facilities, while also crowdsourcing courts that are most in need of a renovation.
Developed by a team of volunteers at the Hoopsfix Foundation, a not-for-profit whose goal is to grow and raise the profile of basketball in the UK, BCNM will provide the first detailed mapping of the country’s outdoor basketball courts, giving an honest assessment of the state of play.
Not only that, but Hoopsfix has committed to helping support one lucky user to renovate their local basketball court. With all court submissions and edits being tracked in a public leaderboard, the leading submitter by January 1st 2025 will be provided tailored support to transform their local court (terms & conditions apply).
Hoopsfix have partnered with other organisations previously, being involved with projects worth tens of thousands of pounds in South London and Brighton, with another five on the way in London over the next three years via a partnership with Access Sport.
To support the platform’s growth, BCNM is backed by all of basketball’s governing bodies and the UK’s professional league, Super League Basketball, and is calling on the basketball community to ‘locate and rate’ their local courts. By doing this, users will contribute to a vital resource that will help improve the game for future generations.
“Basketball is one of the UK’s most popular sports at a grassroots level, yet the lack of high quality, dedicated courts is a real challenge for players of all levels,” said Sam Neter, Executive Director of the Hoopsfix Foundation.
“BCNM is about more than finding a place to play – it’s about building a case for investment in proper facilities that benefit entire communities.”
Tosan Evbuomwan, a British-born professional player who played last year with the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and is now with San Diego Clippers in the G-League, added:
“Basketball players in the UK unfortunately don’t have the same opportunities as players do elsewhere, because we don’t have the courts to practise on.
“There aren’t enough dedicated spaces to play, and the spaces that we do have are too often insufficient. Their poor quality makes them unsuitable to play a real game or even just shoot some hoops solo.
“I feel this is holding back British talent and potential, so it’s great to see a grassroots campaign like this to make basketball more accessible to British kids.”
Visit basketballcourtsnear.me now to submit your courts, or edit/add images to courts that already exist.
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