Blue Mountains basketballers now have another option to play the game in the wake of the Sydney Basketball League (SBL) moving in to the indoor courts at Kingswood High School.
The move is designed to increase the number of social players participating in the sport, with a reach that stretches into the Mountains as well as Western Sydney. Thanks to Australian NBA stars such as Ben Simmons, Joe Ingles and Patty Mills, basketball is a growing sport in Australia, with SBL manager John Hagar pointing out that more courts are needed to cater to the interest.
"In Sydney, it is not so much that the number of basketball courts is diminishing but rather the numbers of people looking to play a game is significantly increasing," said Hagar.
"Basketball is one of the most popular sports played at school. When students leave school and begin their working life, there are unfortunately not as many facilities that allow them to keep playing basketball in Sydney."
Founded in 1997, SBL is the first and largest private basketball association in Australia with over 1000 players, officials and referees. SBL has established competitions in Blacktown, Ryde, Caringbah, Glebe and Lidcombe.