Basketball England has received a £4.73m funding boost from Sport England today as it bids to improve accessibility to – and participation in – the sport over the course of the next four years and beyond.

Basketball is one of the largest team sports in England and the national governing body has based its plan on its strong appeal to young people, people on lower incomes and people from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.

Basketball England’s plan will address the challenges of finding a good quality, outdoor court or affordable indoor facility by working with social basketball providers to use their courts as activity sites for more people. The national governing body will also join forces with facilities operators to make even better use of available court time and increase the number of people playing.

The role of basketball clubs and volunteers in facilitating the anticipated growth in participation for young people will be critical to the success of the game. Basketball England shall be developing more opportunities for clubs to develop and link with new, extra-curricular playing opportunities with schools, colleges and universities.

Stewart Kellett, CEO of Basketball England, said: “We are delighted with the level of engagement of the basketball community in the build-up to our bid for funds. Their voice and needs have been built into our proposals to help make the game better and support the many volunteers who make basketball happen in local communities.

“We want to improve our current services and support to the basketball community to make the sport even more appealing to a broad base of young people and keep them in the game longer.

“We also want to attract more women and girls to basketball as they are under-represented in participation, coaching and officiating.

“People in the sport tell us they want more profile for basketball and access to more coaches and officials that will raise standards and improve the playing experience in basketball. We want to respond to this and bring the sport to the forefront of the nation.”

This latest funding news comes following the Sport England announcement of a second major portfolio of investments designed to get more people playing sport regularly and keeping that healthy habit.

One hundred and one million pounds – which includes specific National Lottery and Government funding for 25 governing bodies of sport – will be mainly targeted towards people who have a strong affinity with sport, including talented athletes trying to reach the top.

Some of the funding though will be invested in tackling inactivity, creating more sports clubs for young people and mass participation programmes and events.