24/09/07 AT LAST, A DREAM COMES TRUE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE HAS ITS VERY OWN BASKETBALL CENTRE For many years the Northamptonshire basketball fraternity has dreamt about having its own dedicated Basketball Centre. Now at last, that dream has come true. Early in 2004 the Northants Basketball Club, secured a grant from Sport England’s Community Club Development Programme. Following negotiations with Northampton School for Girls and Northamptonshire County Council, that grant was added to the PFI funding for building development at NSG. As part of that development a new sports hall was planned and the addition of the Sport England grant meant that this could be upgraded to a dedicated Basketball Centre. The new facility will be used by the school during the day and then exclusively for basketball in the evenings and at weekends. The Centre was finally completed at the end of August and houses two full size courts alongside each other and a show court with spectator accommodation in the middle. The floor is constructed of sprung wood and the baskets are all heavy duty with snap-back rings mounted on Perspex backboards. The Centre will also contain sufficient changing facilities to accommodate the large number of players anticipated in the Centre. Commenting on the new Centre, Karen Goodrich the Administrator of the Northants BBC’ said, “I can hardly believe this has happening. It’s taken years and years of planning and applications but this now we’ve been able to move most of our operations into the Centre.” In addition to the housing the club’s 12 National League teams for training and matches, the Centre will also be the home for Come & Try sessions, Central Venue Leagues (run in conjunction with the Northants League), Camps, Area Performance Centre sessions and National Team training. It is also hoped to stage international games in the facility. In addition to the above activities the club has a Development Plan which aims to co-ordinate primary school basketball in the area culminating in tournaments between participating schools. The Centre will not focus exclusively on junior players! It is hoped that adult Central Venue Leagues and Summer Leagues will eventually be staged in the Centre while activities for young mothers and returnees to basketball are also planned. John Collins the Coaching Director of the Northants Basketball Club has represented the club in most of the negotiations and he hopes the Basketball Centre will become a focal point for basketball not just in Northampton but the whole of the county, “I’m really pleased that we have been able to take this project through to a successful conclusion. The co-operation of Penny Westwood the head teacher of Northampton School for Girls, Chris Borderick the Project Manager, Chris Holmes of Northamptonshire County Council and Claire O’Hara of Sport England has been superb. Now the Centre has opened we will work with the Northants Basketball Association and the Northants League to ensure that we use it as a tool to extend the popularity of basketball in the whole county.” Northamptonshire County Council cabinet member for Children and Young People, Joan Kirkbride said, “This is a wonderful example of the way we want communities to benefit from the state of the art facilities being developed in our schools. Schools are at the very centre of their communities, and certainly we must make the most of opportunities where facilities – particularly in sport – can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.”
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