Has the action-packed 3v3 basketball in the Olympics got you or your kids itching to get on a court to try out the sport?
Or perhaps the thrills of the rugby 7s, football, hockey and tennis events have inspired you?
Thanks to Sport Wales funding, many communities across Wales can look forward to enjoying these five Olympic sports, plus netball, on new and improved surfaces.
New courts for basketball, netball and tennis
During the last 12 months, around £800,000 has been invested by Sport Wales – using Welsh Government money – on ‘court collaboration’ projects to create better facilities for playing basketball, netball and tennis.
Sport Wales worked together with Tennis Wales, Wales Netball and Basketball Wales, as well as local authorities, to select key locations which lacked modern facilities. Decisions over which sites to upgrade were driven by the demand in each area among children to play those particular sports, as indicated by the School Sport Survey 2022.
For example, the survey found that 43% of children in Torfaen wanted more opportunities to play basketball, so a court refurbishment project in Blaenavon which prioritises basketball makes perfect sense.
Using the funding, run-down or unused courts are being transformed with new surfaces, line markings and the necessary hoops and nets.
New pitches for football, rugby and hockey
Just over £1m has also been allocated to either upgrade or create new artificial pitches which will improve opportunities for playing rugby, football and hockey. Four projects have shared the funding during the last 12 months, with Sport Wales working in tandem with the Welsh Rugby Union, Football Association of Wales and Hoci Cymru to deliver the right types of artificial pitches in the right parts of Wales.
Meeting demand
Commenting on the investments, Sport Wales CEO Brian Davies said: “We’re always pleased to support our partner organisations to provide better sports courts and artificial pitches in places around Wales that need them the most.
“The court collaborations meet demand for more spaces where people can enjoy casual games of tennis, netball and basketball, while there continues to be high demand for artificial pitches.
“We’re committed to working with our partners to make sport as accessible as possible so that every person who is inspired by seeing Welsh athletes competing on the biggest stage this summer has the chance to enjoy the sports that appeal to them.
“Whether they pick up a table tennis bat for the first time, or try their hand at basketball or BMX or skateboarding, we want every person in Wales to find enjoyment in sport and continue to be active throughout their lives.
“Another round of court collaboration funding will be invested into communities during this financial year, with expressions of interest being invited from local authorities in early September.
“Applications for this year’s pitch collaboration fund closed recently, and we look forward to announcing the successful projects later this year.”
