Basketball SA is excited to share the opening of the State Basketball Centre at Wayville, with the Honourable Katrine Hildyard MP, Minister of Recreation, Sport and Racing, in attendance to officially open the doors. The state of the art facilities are a major win for the South Australian basketball community. The project was conducted as a collaboration between Basketball SA, Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing and the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of SA (RA&HS).

Basketball SA received $15.8 million in State Government funding to develop the new facility at the Adelaide Showgrounds, Wayville. The new centre is an extension to the Wayville Sports Centre and has the capabilities to accommodate programs for Basketball SA, SA Country Basketball, SA Wheelchair Basketball and SA Church Basketball. 

In addition to the State Government’s funding, Basketball SA and the Royal Show Agricultural and Horticultural Society of SA contributed the additional funding to the re-development bringing the upgrade total to $17.2 million. 

 The new facility caters for community through to high-performance basketball and local, district, state and national league teams all having the ability to train from the same venue. The State Basketball Centre is also the home training venue for the Adelaide Lightning.

 

The Honourable Katrine Hildyard MP, Minister of Recreation, Sport and Racing stated: 

“Establishing places and spaces that support movement, play and performance is a vital component in helping us achieve our vision of being an active and inclusive state. 
   
The new home of South Australian basketball will see players of all ages and abilities utilise the facility, encouraging more people to enjoy the physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing benefits associated with being active. 
   
Our Government is serious about giving everyone in the community a chance to participate in sport and feel included, and the State Basketball Centre is another important piece of infrastructure which will help us achieve that. 
   
Thousands of South Australians enjoy basketball; this place will enable even more people to do so and to enjoy that lovely sense of belonging that comes through sport.  I have no doubt that this place will make a difference in people’s lives for decades to come and am really grateful to Basketball SA and the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of SA for their collaboration and vision to help bring it to life.” 

Wade Burns, Basketball SA Chairman stated: 

“The State Basketball Centre is an investment in community and well-being, belonging and social connection. It’s far more than infrastructure; the SBC provides a place and platform for basketball to shape and positively influence lives. 

When people work together with their collective compass pointing in the same direction, extraordinary things can be achieved. The SBC is an extraordinary project that will deliver significant benefits for generations to follow. 

From the outset, the SBC project has been about human connection. The creation of a safe space where kids will make life-long friendships, families create precious memories and basketball participants of all ages develop life-skills including teamwork, resilience, and leadership. Whilst at the same time delivering a FIBA1 compliant stadium that enables basketball to be showcased at a professional and international level.” 

The facility is set to provide wider community benefits through collaboration with the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of SA (RA&HS), who will use the State Basketball Centre during the Royal Adelaide Show each year as they currently do with the Wayville Sports Centre.