Is Your Local Basketball Court Up to Scratch? New Tool Lets You Decide
London, Monday 16 December 2024 – Today marks the launch of BasketballCourtsNear.Me (BCNM), an innovative, community-driven platform set to become the most comprehensive database of basketball courts in the United Kingdom.
BCNM empowers players and fans to discover and rate basketball courts across the UK, helping spotlight the unique qualities of each location and identify areas for improvement.
While some UK courts offer vibrant community spaces, many facilities need attention to reach their full potential – whether it’s enhancing court size, updating line markings, improving surfaces, or upgrading baskets and backboards.
As it grows, BCNM will be a powerful data resource to help local players put pressure on councils to properly invest in grassroots basketball facilities, influence government policy around outdoor sports facilities, while also crowdsourcing courts that are most in need of a renovation.
Developed by a team of volunteers at the Hoopsfix Foundation, a not-for-profit whose goal is to grow and raise the profile of basketball in the UK, BCNM will provide the first detailed mapping of the country’s outdoor basketball courts, giving an honest assessment of the state of play.
Not only that, but Hoopsfix has committed to helping support one lucky user to renovate their local basketball court. With all court submissions being tracked in a public leaderboard, the leading submitter by December 31st 2024 will be provided tailored support to transform their local court.
Hoopsfix have partnered with other organisations previously, being involved with projects worth tens of thousands of pounds in South London and Brighton, with another five on the way in London over the next three years via a partnership with Access Sport.
A Community Effort
To support the platform’s growth, BCNM is backed by all of basketball’s governing bodies and the UK’s professional league, Super League Basketball, and is calling on the basketball community to ‘locate and rate’ their local courts. By doing this, users contribute to a vital resource that will help improve the game for future generations.
“Basketball is one of the UK’s most popular sports at a grassroots level, yet the lack of high quality, dedicated courts is a real challenge for players of all levels” said Sam Neter, Executive Director of the Hoopsfix Foundation. “BCNM is about more than finding a place to play – it’s about building a case for investment in proper facilities that benefit entire communities.”
basketballscotland’s Head of Basketball, Barry Lang, said: “Access to quality local basketball courts is vital for the growth of our sport and for building basketball communities. With 3×3 basketball set to feature at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, it’s more important than ever to ensure that courts are in excellent condition and easy to find. Basketball is a sport where anyone should be able to pick up a ball, find a hoop and play.
“If you’re unhappy with the state of your local court, let us know. We can assist with lobbying councils, identifying funding and building links with community groups to support improvements. We fully support any initiative that removes barriers and makes basketball accessible to players of all ages and abilities, while promoting fun and active lifestyles across Scotland.”
Get Involved
To support the platform’s mission, Hoopsfix invites basketball supporters across the UK to visit BCNM, locate courts near them, and add missing ones to the database.
Through the platform, users can search for courts by location, see images, assess court conditions based on community ratings, and submit new court locations, expanding the UK’s most complete map of basketball facilities.
For clubs, leagues, and federations who wish to participate, BCNM offers a resource pack with promotional assets to help spread the word and encourage court submissions.
For more information, or to start mapping courts in your area, visit www.basketballcourtsnear.me
