Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, centre, shoots hoops at the Glen Innes Showground with Glen Innes Basketball Association President Karen McAllister, left, Secretary Carri Wood, Mayor Steve Toms and Showground Trust Chairman Mike Condon.
Friday, 2 February 2018
BASKETBALL players in Glen Innes will soon be shooting new hoops on a completely refurbished court, thanks to a $27,360 NSW Government grant to refresh facilities at the town’s showground, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announced today.
Mr Marshall said the NSW Community Building Partnerships funding would allow the Glen Innes Basketball Association to open up the increasingly popular sport to the broader community.
“The current outdated court surface, markings and hoops will all be replaced and upgraded, providing a fresh, modern basketball facility for the community,” Mr Marshall said. “The court floor to be sanded back, revarnished and the markings for both basketball and netball repainted.
“This new surface will not only improve player safety, but the key and three-pointer lines will be updated to correct dimensions for the first time in many years.
“With modern line markings, Glen Innes Basketball hopes to attract teams from across the region, which would significantly boost the standard of competition for all.”
The funding will also replace the hoops with a modern electronic models, helping match officials quickly adjust the height of the hoops for each age group.
“Currently the small but dedicated support team has to manually wind the hoops up and down,” Mr Marshall said. “This is a time-consuming and laborious process, especially when it needs to be performed several times in an afternoon.”
Glen Innes Basketball Association Secretary Carri Wood said the group hoped to grow the sport beyond the current 6-17 year-old roster.
“We’re hoping this new flooring will bring better competition, as we’re hoping to get schools more involved and potentially start up a senior competition,” Ms Wood said.
“Basketball is very popular with school kids, and an expanded competition would help them carry through and potentially start up a summer competition.”
Works are expected to start soon, with completion anticipated for mid-year.