Today’s Poll

Nelson Hoops launches petition to gauge support for improvements to outdoor basketball facilities

The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
March 15th, 2021

While some minor sports groups may see a glimmer of light at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic tunnel, basketball players in Nelson are feeling a little left out.

The sport generally uses school gymnasiums to play games, and with most School Districts holding their COVID-19 cards close to their respective chests, and closing facilities to outside users, it may be another year at best before outside groups can access gymnasiums.

The Nelson Hoops Association started a petition to begin the conversation of improving the outdoor basketball facilities, in particular, the basketball courts at Lakeside Park.

The courts currently share space with tennis and/or pickle ball players at Lakeside Park.

However, the current court lacks adequate space of a full-size court, and with interest in the sport at an all-time high, organizers have launched a petition to gauge public interest on how to make improvements.

“Although the basketball community is grateful for the City's initiative in recent years, installing two regulation basketball hoops within the tennis court area at Lakeside Park, the basketball court surface has the following deficiencies,” the Change.org petition said.

Those deficiencies include:

  • The basketball hoops are centered far too close to the north fence-line, effectively curtailing available playing surface
  • The basketball court is situated entirely within the north tennis court and is obstructed by the tennis court's net and supports
  • The basketball hoops are situated too far apart to consider playing a full-court game

Nelson Hoops acknowledges there are other sites within the city with basketball hoops.

However, none of the locations — Lion’s Park, Hume School, L.V. Rogers High School, Trafalgar Middle School and some elementary schools — offer regulation hoops or adequate playing surfaces making playing at those locations a safety issue.

Nelson Hoops Association said it believes that it is important that attention to outdoor public basketball facilities be a priority at this time in order to plan for the upcoming outdoor recreating season and in anticipation of less stringent public health orders, as there is great uncertainty regarding how and when safe access to indoor facilities will be granted. 

“Nelson Hoops Association is hoping to garner a show of community support and consult with user groups prior to present City officials with proposed improvement options to existing outdoor basketball facilities for users.

The petition can be read at this link.

Nelson Hoops Association said any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Currently more than 950 people have signed the petition.

The Lakeside Park courts are located inside the tennis courts at the west end of the park.

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