I've played basketball in this city for most of my life. My son now pulls on a Newcastle Falcons jersey and represents this city with everything he's got. My daughter plays soccer for New Lambton, so I'm hardly a one-eyed basketball parent. Reading yet another letter opposing the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre doesn't just frustrate me, it breaks my heart. Equally frustrating is the way this debate has been covered. Reading the Herald, you'd be forgiven for thinking the entire community is against this project. That isn't true. When the amended plans were exhibited, 69 per cent of the 1273 submissions were in support.
Over 6000 players call Newcastle Basketball home. Kids, teenagers, adults, wheelchair athletes. All of us squeezed into a stadium that was built in 1969 and hasn't had meaningful upgrades since. We already overflow into borrowed venues across the city. This is not a planning problem on paper, this is the reality we live every week. And the clock is ticking. The government has confirmed the Broadmeadow lease ends in 2028. If this project fails, Port Stephens has already put its hand up.
