Our vision is to work together with our community to solve the indoor court crisis in Perth, while also securing a 'home ground' for our Club.

The outcome of this project will be a 12-court sporting and mixed-use community facility located at a site in Kensington, managed by the Perth Basketball Association.

Should we be successful in our petition, our aim is to build the new stadium within three years.

It means one location for training, more development opportunities for you/your player if you seek them, the potential to grow our WABL teams, and a permanent home ground with ample parking and a range of facilities for players and fans.

It means one location for domestic competitions and the ability for the Association to run more competitions over the course of the week. At a Club level, this might mean more teams per Club. At a player level, this will mean more development opportunities, particularly for those players looking to secure a WABL position. It will also likely mean more opportunities linked to the sport of basketball, such as coaching and refereeing.

The vision is a 12-court sporting and mixed-use community stadium that is built to maximise the utility not only for basketball but also for multiple indoor sports and provide much-needed meeting spaces and facilities for the wider community. The size of the complex will also provide opportunities for major events, both sporting and other, and be a major point of meeting for the community as a whole.

We have, over an extended period of time, completed extensive research, including a feasibility study, visiting and assessing potential sites and reviewing current and prospective player data. We have also consulted widely with leaders in the basketball community and other sporting codes that are also in desperate need of indoor courts. We have now engaged State and Federal government representatives to garner support. The final step in achieving our goals is to generate support from our members by way of petition to secure a pre-election commitment that will achieve this facility for Perth.

Many sports make use of indoor courts, particularly basketball and volleyball. Perth is one of Australia’s strongest basketball cities and basketball itself is one of the most gender-diverse sports played in WA. Basketball is also one of only two sports in Australia where participation within the Aboriginal population is greater than the population in general. 

Currently, basketball Clubs, including the Perth Redbacks, have extensive waiting lists and do not have the capacity to meet demand. AusPlay research indicates that on average across Australia 5.5% of the population play basketball and there is a need for one indoor court for every 6250 residents. Current estimates are that the population within the PBA primary residential catchment is nearing 500,000 residents and this is set to increase further with changes in urban density in coming years. Based on these estimates and aligning with the national average, this equates to 27,500 active basketball players in the PBA catchment area alone. 

We do currently run training in schools after hours. These venues form part of the network of 25 locations over which we operate across the week. We are grateful to our school partners for making courts available to us, but running training at schools and other venues does not solve the logistical problem of operating at multiple sites, nor does it solve the problem parents face of getting their children to various different venues, sometimes in two different places at once in the case of multi-child families. This solution also doesn’t resolve the issue of finding a home for our Club.

The time for decisive action is pressing as it must occur before all possible sites are consumed by urban infill and density growth. The feasibility study undertaken by PBA in partnership with Perth Reds Volleyball Association found that without action now, the local area (covering most of the inner metropolitan region) might never have suitable local indoor sporting facilities for the kids of the future to play in sporting competitions.

The proposed site is in Kensington, less than 1km from the current PBA Office at Leisurelife. It is situated between Curtin University and three schools - Kent Street, Como Secondary College and Clontarf. This is important because of its proximity to public transport (Curtin University is a known hub for public transport) and the benefits this facility can bring to these local schools. There is good road access and flat land for an efficient build. The PBA has reviewed many potential sites in the catchment area and this has not only been determined to be the most appropriate, but the Association has also discovered there are no other suitable sites left in the area.

We are pleased to announce that the Hon Hannah Beazley MLA is our primary advocate, and she is working together with our Club to articulate the needs of this project to her colleagues in Government. We also have the support of Geoff Baker MLA and Zaneta Mascarenhas MP. Basketball WA also supports this project and agree that the Perth Basketball Association is the number one priority for government funding of our sport. Other prominent members of the basketball community, including Damian Martin, Greg Hire and Ricky Grace support this project. Our colleagues in other sporting codes, including volleyball and badminton, also support this project, along with local government authorities, including the Mayors. Finally, the neighbouring communities, namely Curtin University, the YMCA, SEDA, the Clontarf Foundation, Kent Street and Como Secondary College have all articulated support. We anticipate this facility will bring a range of benefits to all those who neighbour the land.

READ THE FULL PERTH WILDCATS STATEMENT

We have made a lot of progress with our vision. It is now time for our community to help bring this idea to reality. We are formally petitioning the State Government to support this project. You can add your name to this petition by August 11. Our goal is 10,000 signatures. Please also share this campaign with all those in your network who have a love of sport and sporting opportunities for the young people of Perth. Together, we can achieve a facility for Perth that will make a hugely positive impact for years to come.

Any resident of Western Australia, regardless of age, is eligible to sign this petition, so please encourage everyone you know, including kids, to do so. The Perth Basketball Association will not receive or store any data provided to the petition.