Nic Street,Minister for Sport and Recreation
The JackJumpers’ incredible feat of making the NBL final series in their inaugural season is one of the greatest achievements in Australian sporting history.
Tasmanians have ridden the wave of success that the JackJumpers have created, and grassroots and community basketball around the State has benefited significantly as a result.
Participation in the sport is up by 7.4 per cent in 2022 with thousands of young Tasmanians wanting to shoot hoops after watching the JackJumpers wow sell-out crowds throughout the NBL season.
Basketball Tasmania should also be credited for the rise in participation with junior clinics and tournaments happening across the State, such as the Tasmanian Junior Basketball League Tournament at the Kingborough Sports Centre today.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government currently provides $1 million to Basketball Tasmania over four years (2020-2024) to support the State’s three NBL1 clubs to deliver school basketball clinics across Tasmania, and $60,000 per year through our State Grants program to support participation activities.
Funding of more than $150,000 was also provided to basketball through all four tranches of our COVID-19 Sport and Recreation Grants Program to assist community clubs around the State bounce back from the pandemic.
We will continue to support community and grassroots basketball in Tasmania as the sport continues to grow, and we wish the JackJumpers all the very best for game two of their best of five grand-final series against the Sydney Kings at MyState Bank Arena tomorrow afternoon.
