Street BasketballBritish Basketball has secured sponsorship for a pilot programme of Proj3kt 3on3, an activation based short version of the sport which has an ultimate aim of inclusion on the Olympic programme.
Grounded in the language, fashion and music of street culture, it benefits from few rules, little need for organisation or space and a casual spirit of introduction that has potential to play well with the 16-19 age group of boys and girls that might otherwise not engage in sport at all.
The Proj3kt 3on3 pilot programme launched in November 2012 in partnership with Sport England, and has attracted over 2,000 attendees to the initial sessions held in five areas around Britain.
Basketball Clubs are central to the promotion and activation of the games within local communities but it is anticipated that once the initial push has been made that the games will take on a momentum within small groups which will get players active and then progress towards the more structured world of competition.
The first programme will culminate in a finals day at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on the same night as the British Basketball League Trophy Final.
It is claimed that 3on3 in one shape or another is played by up to 250 million people around the world and is actively supported by FIBA, the sport’s World Governing Body.
Basketball in Ireland is strong in terms of infrastructure and there are many courts available to young people through which a similar project could gain traction.
The sport is popular in schools and up to University level where college teams dominate at National Level. Next weekend’s Super League Finals will be contested by the University of Limerick in both the Men’s and Women’s game.
Beyond the college years though it has to compete with the major team sports and has become more of a performance sport than most others with less to attract those looking to play at a more casual level.
Proj3kt 3on3 offers a potential path towards greater participation and may qualify for some initial support from FIBA.
The demographic of the population it is aimed at reaching is difficult to access and may enable the sport to reach into some of the marketing budgets currently aimed at music festivals.
Outside of that there is also scope for larger companies to introduce games as part of employee fitness schemes, providing they have access to a nearby court or can give over space in a car park or open space near their buildings.

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