MIES (Switzerland) - A member of FIBA's Equipment & Venue Centre is working to inspire the younger generation in Brazil to get involved in basketball by using social and environmental issues as motivators through projects such as 'A Bola do Jogo'.

Penalty, created in 1970 by Brazilian Cambuci Group, which has been a member of FIBA's Equipment & Venue Centre since 2005 and specializes in sporting products, created the special project A Bola do Jogo. Translated as 'Game Ball', the project gives the opportunity to young fans to design a basketball, with the winning motif to be then used for the opening game of Brazil's professional league.  

The aim of the cultural contest is to generate youth engagement and strengthen the level of basketball in communities, with the basketballs being auctioned afterward and the funds donated to charity.

The National Basketball League (LNB) and Penalty have successfully organized the project for the last two NBB seasons. The first winning design came from a 14-year-old female student with the message “For a world without racism”. The design was then reproduced on the FIBA approved Penalty Crossover 7.8 ball and used for the opening game of the 2020-21 season.

 
A number of basketball stars signed the ball afterward and the ball was put up for sale in an action. The money raised from the auction went to Casa do Menino, an institution that serves children aged 7 to 12 in vulnerable situations in Campina Grande in Brazil, the home city of the winner of the contest.

For the 2021-22 season, the project was expanded and had all 17 of the league's clubs enter a ball designed by an artist from their region to be considered for the opening day ball. The 17 designs were voted on via social media with the most-selected design on Instagram chosen as the A Bola do Jogo winner and used on the season opening game ball.

All 17 of the balls were later auctioned by Play For A Cause, a company specializing in auctions in sports and entertainment to generate financial resources for projects and institutions focused on education and inclusion in Brazil and across the world.

The amounts raised for each ball were then allocated to their respective clubs, who along with the LNB choose a non-profit organization to receive the money with the overriding purpose of investing in basketball in the community. 

 
The FIBA Equipment & Venue Centre sets standards for basketball equipment and facilities and encourages its partners to support the development and growth of basketball, both locally and globally. It also encourages its partners to develop initiatives and projects like the A Bola do Jogo.

Click here to view FIBA Approved Equipment Guide. 

FIBA