Basketball England receives Sport England funding for 3×3 participation

Basketball England has received a further pot of funding from Sport England to focus on 3×3 basketball and aim to ensure a Commonwealth Games legacy.

Building on the £8.6million funding announced earlier this week, BE will receive a portion of the £6.5million B2022: NGB Sport Participation, Innovation and Digital Fund, that has been split between 20 national governing bodies, though the specific amount was not revealed.

The money will be invested into the development of 3×3 participation opportunities for young people, building on the format’s debut at the Games. The NGB will also use digital engagement to boost the profile of the sport and a digital tool linked to #ProjectSwish to enable people to find new spaces, courts, and opportunities to play.

“We’re delighted to be part of this innovative legacy drive to create new opportunities for young people to play,” Stewart Kellett, CEO of Basketball England, said.

“We will be using digital engagement to help people discover new ways to play and engage with a wider audience.

“Our campaign #GameTime will elevate the voices of local people and create awareness of new activities locally, helping them create their great spaces in their communities through #ProjectSwish and new playing opportunities through 3×3 and the outdoor game.”

The funding aims to improve participation rates in areas of England where activity levels are the lowest. BE will also target those from underrepresented communities and low-income areas who may also experience other inequalities – such as disabilities and long-term health conditions.

The fund is aimed at reaching communities in Birmingham, the West Midlands and a number of other areas that the sports bodies have identified as needing the most support – including parts of London, Manchester and Bristol, where inequalities mean that activity levels are often below the national average.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries added:

“We want Birmingham 2022 to be the games for everyone and this fund will help make that a reality across the country.

“By reaching into new communities with fun, creative and accessible introductions to Commonwealth sports, this investment will help increase participation and secure a strong legacy from Birmingham 2022.”

While Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, concluded:

“One mission for the Commonwealth Games is creating new ways to include those who face the most barriers to playing sport and getting active. So to deliver long-term community impact, we have to listen to what people need, try out new and different ideas, and support partners who know what works at a grassroots level for their community.

“Lasting impact from the Games will depend on the creation of long-term, inclusive and local opportunities for people to get active, and tackling the inequalities that make it harder for some groups now. Today’s funding is an opportunity for us to work innovatively with sports to target the people and areas who need support the most.”

Do you like our work?

We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.

We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.

We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.

If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.

We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.

Support Hoopsfix