Basketball is the second most-popular school sport in NZL
OAKURA (New Zealand) - The New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council released the 2018 census and revealed the continuous and phenomenal growth of basketball in the country.
Basketball inched closer to netball, which recorded a 3 percent increase to 26,418 students while the latter dropped by 5 percent to a total of 27,139.
School Sport New Zealand CEO Garry Carnachan lauded the growth of basketball and believes the sport is on pace to the most popular sport in the secondary school level.
"Basketball is ticking many of the boxes that young people are looking for in their sport these days," he said. "Given its current rates of growth, Basketball is on track to become the most popular sport in NZ secondary schools."
Carnachan noted there is still untapped growth potential in the sport that can further bolster the popularity of basketball.
"While this is great news for the sport it also poses a number of challenges in providing the required support in terms of opportunities to play and quality coaches, referees, and facilities," he said.
Basketball New Zealand Chief Executive Iain Potter echoed the sentiment of Carnachan but mentioned that more funding should be allocated to accommodate the burgeoning popularity of basketball.
"This growth is not a surprise for us. We've seen the growth of this participation-trend since the Census began," he said. "Basketball participation has almost doubled in just 10 years, whereas basketball’s funding certainly hasn't".
"TO PLAY, KIDS NEED OPPORTUNITIES WITH ABALL, COACH AND A COURT. THIS RELENTLESS GROWTH HAS SEEN BASKETBALL FACILITIES BECOME PRIME REAL-ESTATE WITH COURT BOOKINGS BURSTING."
Despite the lack of increased funding from the government sector, Potter lauded the support Basketball New Zealand has received partnerships with private companies.
"While I have called for more support, I would like to make a point of thanking our partners," he added. "Sport New Zealand’s community support too. And importantly, those community Trusts, organizations and businesses in the regions that support our basketball associations."
FIBA
