Game changer: new $30m stadium to help basketball boom

A 12-court indoor facility will be built on crown land opposite McDonald Jones Stadium and be funded by the State Government.

Construction of stage one, which consists of eight courts, will take three years to complete.

Stage two, which includes a 2000-seat show court, gymnasium and other high performance areas, will follow and requires further funding.

The new stadium will replace the 53-year-old Young Road facility, which needs maintenance and is too small for the booming sport.

Newcastle Basketball has 5000 players, including 1800 juniors, with standby lists.

"At the moment, we have to turn players away," said Neason, who started with Newcastle Basketball in January. "When we closed our junior registration for the winter comp, we instantly had a wait list of 500 players.

"Basketball has experienced unprecedented growth in the past few years, and Newcastle is growing quicker than other associations. The top association, Hills District in Sydney, has about 8000 members. We anticipate when the new facility is opened, we will be able to double our membership to 10,000 within 12 months."

Newcastle was the birthplace of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1979 but the city has not fielded a team since the demise of the Hunter Pirates in 2006.

NBL owner Larry Kestelman told the Herald this month that he would "love" Newcastle to be back in the competition, but only in a suitable venue.

The Wests Group are prepared to bankroll an NBL franchise if the government honours a 2017 promise to build a new 11,000 arena at "Hunter Park" - a sports and entertainment precinct proposed for Broadmeadow.

The new basketball stadium is not part of Hunter Park.

Newcastle Basketball plan to enter a team in the Women's NBL, with games to be played on the new show court.

An NBL team could use the complex as a training centre and, importantly, tap into the association for its supporter base.

"If you have 10,000 people playing the sport each week, it is a pretty strong business case for a team," Neason said.

READ MORE: NEW INDOOR ARENA KEY TO NBL BID

Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper helped secure $25m from the NSW government in 2019 for a 10-court complex at Hillsborough.

But the proposal was refused in May last year by the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel, which said the site was not suitable for the "scale and intensity" of the stadium.

Piper has again stepped in to obtain another $5m from the government for the new proposal to cover increased construction costs.

"It's a shame the stadium couldn't be built on the originally intended site in Lake Macquarie, but this still gives us a first-class regional facility which can be accessed by everyone from Morisset to Port Stephens," Piper said.

"We all know that construction costs have soared by more than 20 per cent in recent years, so this additional money will make sure we get the regional facility we deserve rather than a scaled-back version of the original."

Neason said Newcastle Basketball had "worked really hard" with Lake Macquarie Council to try and find a suitable site.

"We explored different parcels of land but each had various complications," he said. "A conversation was had with the [NSW government's] Office of Sport to say lets solve this problem. Credit to them and the City of Newcastle, everyone has been really open to coming up with solutions. The one we have landed on is the best possible outcome."

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the development would deliver vital new sporting infrastructure for the community.

"For more than half a century Newcastle has been the physical and spiritual home of basketball in this region," Nelmes said. "Newcastle will have a venue capable of not only hosting a professional women's team, but also state and national basketball tournaments, which will increase tourism and deliver positive economic benefits for local businesses."

Newcastle Falcons foundation player and association director Larry Davidson said the current stadium held "lots of memories" but a new facility was essential.

"I started [with the Falcons] in 1979 as a young fellow," he said. "I remember one game, the place was packed. There was portable seating at the end lines and the queue to get in went down past the tennis courts and around past where McDonalds is now. This facility has served its purpose over the years. But we need a new complex so, as a basketball community, we can grow."

Jakob Dorricott, a guard in the current Newacstle Falcons side which plays in the second-tier NBL1 competition, has grown up in the current stadium.

"I got a Falcons' ticket the day I was born," the 25-year-old said. "This place has a lot of history but there are a lot of things that need improvement. The roof leaks, floors have been broken ... there have been some big issues over the years.

"Our league is growing so the facility needs to expand and get better. Basketball is booming in the area and it is exactly what the sport needs to continue growing."

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