Maldon District Council have announced the successful allocation of two basketball goals by the Lottery Sports Fund.

The two goals will shortly be installed at the multi-games area at the Dengie Hundred Sports Centre, Burnham-on-Crouch.

Securing the new equipment has been a result of a partnership project between Maldon District Council and The English Basketball Association, Circa Leisure Plc, and Burnham-on-Crouch Town Council, who have each paid towards the installation and extensions to the goal units.

Councillor D. Howse, Vice-Chairman of Maldon District Council's Community and Leisure Services Committee, said: "The Outdoor Basketball Initiative is an excellent scheme which brings together many of the local community's sports providers to provide sport for the local community's young people.

The Burnham-on-Crouch case is an ideal example of how the public and private sectors can work together to achieve first class sports facilities for the local community."

The Outdoor Basketball Initiative is an innovative scheme designed to bring the sport of basketball to every community.

The scheme also paves the way for future basketball development schemes and provides the young people of Burnham-on-Crouch with yet another sports facility following the introduction of the skateboarding area at Millfields.

The Lottery Sports Fund has already spent £6 million installing 5000 goals across England, and Burnham-on-Crouch's involvement brings the total rapidly racing towards the 2004 target of 10,000 basketball goals!

A similar site at Tollesbury and a developing site at Steeple have already identified the true worth of the scheme and are close to securing their own basketball goals.

Anybody who may feel that their facility or Parish could benefit from this exciting and popular scheme, readers are encouraged to contact Peter Melville, Maldon District Council's Sports Development Officer for advice and an application form, on 01621 875738.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.