Stellenbosch Municipality recently partnered with the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS) to develop a basketball court at the Idas Valley sports facility.
This is according to Roy van Rooyen, councillor for ward five in Stellenbosch.
The Court of Dreams basketball project is based at the Idas Valley sports facility in Stellenbosch and is open to other neighbouring communities. PHOTO: Supplied/Eon Hendrikse
The Court of Dreams project opened on 27 August and was hosted by Wendell Carter Jr, an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player, said Rob Benadie, chief executive officer of SAS and Stellenbosch Football Club, via email correspondence with MatieMedia. Carter is currently a member of the basketball team Orlando Magic, according to the NBA website.
“SAS approached Stellenbosch Municipality with a proposal to upgrade one of the six [existing] netball courts into a basketball court,” explained Van Rooyen.
The upgrade
The establishment has been upgraded and includes an acrylic ground surface of the court with installed basketball hoops, as well as backboards and line markings, said Van Rooyen. “In addition, the existing oblation facility [Idas Valley sports facility] will receive minor repairs,” he stated.
“We spent around R1 million just to fix what we had to fix. […] The money is not an issue, because what we’re doing [at the Idas Valley sports facility] is going to be there for many years,” said Josè Cabral, a professional football and futsal coach, and a lecturer at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) sports science department.
The municipality will not face any financial implications relating to the project, as all the upgrades will be funded by SAS, according to Van Rooyen.
The training for the ‘Court of Dreams’ initiative will be provided by SAS in collaboration with Maties Basketball players from SU, said Cabral.
The ‘Court of Dreams’ was funded by the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS) and a National Basketball Association (NBA) player Wendell Carter presented the basketball court to the local youth that attended the opening on 27 August, said Rob Benadie, chief executive officer of SAS and Stellenbosch Football Club, via email correspondence with MatieMedia. PHOTO: Supplied/Eon Hendrikse
Uplifting the community
The Court of Dreams project has the potential to be part of the broader vision for the Idas Valley community, said Eon Hendrikse, an Idas Valley community leader.
The sports board and Stellenbosch Municipality were instrumental in the project, which became a reality within two weeks, said Benadie.
Josè Cabral, a professional football and futsal coach, and a lecturer at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) sports science department, told MatieMedia about the community upliftment development that will take place through the ‘Court of Dreams’ project. AUDIO: Micaleb Lawrence
“Idas Valley is a proud community that loves their sport activities. It is a pleasure for SAS to play a small role in providing the community with an improved space where they can interact and play,” he added.
The initiative will not only focus on basketball but will expand to netball and football as part of an after-school programme in the near future, said Ethan Scheepers, secretary at the Dear Young Leaders programme in Idas Valley.