Slam dunk for Hoops Capital with new centre of excellence
Reigning NBL champions the Sydney Kings have been given a major boost ahead of their title defence this weekend, with a $15 million cash injection from the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government towards the club’s new centre of excellence at Lidcombe.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the project is being delivered through the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s Centre of Excellence program, which will expand the facility, providing Hoops Capital sides, the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames, with a new home, and more opportunities for community basketball programs.
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“The Sydney Kings are the largest and most successful basketball team in the nation and this weekend we’re all hoping they can go back-to-back as NBL champions,” Perrottet said.
“This investment by the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will deliver a state-of-the-art facility for both the Kings and the Flames, which will enhance training and development opportunities and ensure their legacy lives on for years to come.
“This program is bridging the gap between elite sport and the grassroots, by bringing our sporting heroes closer to the community and creating strong links with pathway and development programs.”
The project will provide elite-performance sports infrastructure that supports talent identification and dedicated high-performance spaces to improve pathways for women and girls.
The dedicated basketball facility will provide the Kings and the Flames with two courts, high-performance sports science and medical facilities, a new gym, skills area and training room, recovery spaces, and enhanced media and administration facilities.
Hoops Capital chairman and majority owner Paul Smith said the facility will be a game-changer for basketball and support participation growth for players of all ages and abilities.
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“The facility will not only be home to the Kings and the Flames but also provide a dedicated space to grow our Academy, which is providing participation, development and pathway programs for young basketballers across NSW,” Smith said.
This announcement comes on the back of a record-breaking season for both the Kings (who set new marks in both total and average attendance) and Flames (who had more than 2,000 people attend their Quancentre clash against Southside in January).
Game one of the Kings’ best-of-five Championship Series against New Zealand tips off on Friday, March 3 at 7:30pm AEDT at Qudos Bank Arena, with tickets available here.
While the Flames wrap up their WNBL23 campaign on Sunday against the Boomers in Melbourne from 1pm AEDT – which will be broadcast live on 9Now.