"This partnership will not only improve and activate basketball courts, but also provide long-term support for the London basketball community."

Access Sport is thrilled to announce a new partnership with the Hoopsfix Foundation, the charitable arm of the UK’s leading basketball media and events platform.

Together we hope to create more opportunities for disadvantaged and disabled young people to play basketball, enriching their lives through the benefits of inclusive sport.

We know from Sport England’s Active Lives data that basketball is consistently more impactful on well-being compared to other sports and attracts people from the least affluent backgrounds^[1]. We, therefore, believe basketball has huge untapped potential to transform the lives of underserved young people.

Hoopsfix will support Access Sport to activate at least five community basketball courts in underserved areas of London. Hoopsfix is already a leader in this space, having worked alongside Foot Locker, National Basketball Association, Basketball England, and Lambeth Council to refurbish the Clapham Common basketball courts  in 2021, which have since become a hub of basketball activity in London. Building on our current partnership with the London Marathon Foundation, this collaboration with Hoopsfix brings us one step closer to changing the sport of basketball.

“Partnerships like this one connect Access Sport with a network of community basketball clubs and are therefore invaluable. By working with Hoopsfix, we are gaining insight into what facilities could benefit from our support and linking directly with communities, volunteers and coaches who want to become more inclusive. Together we hope to provide as many young people as possible with the benefits of this amazing sport” - Tess Cinamon Duffield, Head of Programme.

This partnership will not only improve and activate basketball courts, but also provide long-term support for the London basketball community. Clubs will have access to the ongoing guidance needed to set up and sustain a thriving inclusive club, including access to training, resources and equipment. Hoopsfix’s network of clubs and connections throughout the British basketball scene will be used to maximise the reach of this work, ensuring that communities who really need this support can gain access.

“We know from our own research that dedicated, high quality, outdoor basketball spaces are incredibly important to getting people playing more basketball. This partnership with Access Sport will allow us to transform at least another 5 courts across the capital to provide better playing opportunities to thousands of young people.” - Sam Neter, Executive Director of the Hoopsfix Foundation.

Find out more about Hoopsfix here:

Interested in learning more about how we are promoting long-term change in basketball?

Changing Sports - Basketball

 

[1] State of Life, Levelling the Playing Field