Hobart’s basketball community says it is nearing breaking point as pressure mounts on the Federal Government to fund a long‑planned indoor basketball facility at New Town Bay, with local clubs warning children are already being squeezed out of the sport.
Hobart Phoenix Basketball Association board director Matt McIver said the lack of facilities was already having tangible impacts on families and young players, with late‑night games and unsuitable training times forcing difficult decisions.
“Certainly getting there,” Mr McIver said when asked if the project could stall without federal support.
“I think we’re continually asking ourselves the question, what more can we do?”
Mr McIver said the evidence supporting the need for the four‑court facility was overwhelming, yet clubs were struggling to secure the final funding needed to deliver it.
“We were starting to run out of ideas because the evidence couldn’t be clearer about the need,” he said.
Hobart Phoenix currently supports around 50 junior teams, drawing on multiple venues across Greater Hobart each week to accommodate training and games. Mr McIver said the situation had become increasingly unsustainable.
“I had one of my daughters finish a game the other week at midnight on a Friday night,” he said.
“We’ve got kids who are training at all hours of the day just to get some court time.”
While clubs were not formally turning players away, Mr McIver said the reality was more subtle.
“We haven’t had to explicitly turn kids away but what’s happening is kids are self‑selecting because we’re giving them training times and game times that just aren’t family friendly,” he said.
“So in some ways they are getting turned away because we just can’t provide a sustainable product at this point.”
There is no home court or any indoor basketball venues in Hobart for under-14s player Esther McIver's club Hobart Phoenix Basketball Association.
Basketball Tasmania Chief Executive Officer Ben Smith said the situation in Hobart was unique compared to other jurisdictions, both in Tasmania and nationally.
“I can’t imagine there is a project for community sport infrastructure in the country that is backed up by greater need than this,” Mr Smith said.
“We’ve got a club here with a thousand members that doesn’t have a home court and doesn’t have a club room.”
Mr Smith said participation in basketball had been growing by about 10 per cent each year, despite the severe facility constraints.
“That’s despite the shortage of courts,” he said.
“Hobart Phoenix are using multiple different venues every week just to be able to train and play their teams.”
He said the closure of Swisherr Hoops Academy had added further pressure, exacerbating what he described as a decades‑long under‑investment in indoor basketball infrastructure.
The City of Hobart is seeking between $9 million and $12.5 million in federal funding to complete the $25 million New Town Bay Community Basketball Facility, with the State Government already committed to providing $12.5 million, while the City of Hobart has contributed the land and covered the costs of the planning process.
Acting Hobart Lord Mayor Dr Zelinda Sherlock said the project was a matter of fairness and access.
The community benefits would be similar to the recently opened $62.5 million Northern Suburbs Community Recreation Hub in Launceston that was almost entirely funded by the state ($46.3 million) and federal ($15.1 million) governments but at less than half the cost.
“What we see in all of the different reports that we have done is that basketball is one of the fastest growing sports here in Tasmania,” Dr Sherlock said.
“And as a result this facility is absolutely critical.”
Independent Elwick MLC Bec Thomas said the upcoming federal budget represented a pivotal moment.
“This is an opportunity for the federal government to demonstrate that they fund projects based on evidence‑based need, not marginal seat math,” Ms Thomas said.
“And I really hope that they’ll come to the party and commit $12.5 million in next week’s federal budget.”