A new basketball court in Athlone’s Bridgetown has joy bouncing around the community. For the youth there, this space is a lot more than just an opportunity to play:
Athlone, South Africa (24 November 2023) — Earlier this week, Athlone community members began bouncing with joy thanks to a new basketball court that’s made Bridgetown the talk of the area.
As the sport continues to build up in Cape Town and South Africa, it’s become another opportunity for young people to stay out of one kind of court and hop onto another in crime-prominent areas, as Alderman Eddie Andrews indicates.
“A child in sport is a child out of court,” he shared, reflecting on the importance on giving the youth in areas where they’re most susceptible to gang influence, another path.”
“If you do not grab hold of such opportunities you will remain a statistic in this country. You must make the choice to grab every single opportunity that comes your way…You do not have to be a member of any of these gangs or sell substances or rob people. You can choose this sports path and you will reap the rewards in the long-term.”—Alderman Andrews shared in addressing the community’s youth.
The new court was led by the National Basketball Association (NBA) Africa and the non-profit Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) which was founded by American Academy and Golden Globe awardee, Forest Whitaker.
It was officially handed over to the City of Cape Town on Tuesday where young Athlone players got to give it a test run.
Beyond a new dose of basketball fever, the new facility comes with other bonuses for the Bridgetown community at the community centre. Free computer training, psychosocial wellbeing support, conflict resolution and business and entrepreneurship skills amongst others, will be on the cards!