Player demand has pushed Newcastle Basketball to create a wait-list, as debate rages over the location of a future stadium.
Newcastle Basketball recently opened registrations for its junior summer competition and reached capacity in 30 minutes, with 40 new and returning teams initially on the wait-list.
Newcastle Basketball chair Erica James said the wait-list expanded to 70 teams the following week.
"We have reorganised competitions and introduced new time slots and have managed to accept a further 51 teams from the wait-list, with 19 junior teams still missing out," Ms James said.
"This is in addition to our senior social program where we have 170 teams that have registered for the summer competition and a further 20 senior teams on the wait-list."
The association uses six courts at Broadmeadow and hires courts at Macquarie College and Hunter Sports High School.
Ms James said court hire was "a significant cost to our organisation".
"The number of players we are turning away is growing every year," she said.
"This is problematic both in terms of access to playing sport for families and it also leads to a significant loss of revenue for our organisation."
The Broadmeadow courts also accommodate a wheelchair basketball program, Newcastle Volleyball and Hunter Pickleball.
The association is proposing to build a new indoor facility on Wallarah and Blackley ovals, which would double the capacity of the current site. A development application and environmental impact statement are yet to be lodged.
A new stadium is something residents and sporting groups opposed to the proposed site say they support, but not on the chosen land across from McDonald Jones Stadium.
Newcastle Labor councillors have called on the NSW government to buy the former Hamilton North gasworks for Newcastle Basketball to build a stadium on.
Newcastle Basketball received a $25 million state government grant for the new stadium, and a requirement is that the money is not to be used to buy land.
Labor councillor Peta Winney-Baartz said there was "a growing need" for sports facilities and acknowledged Newcastle basketball had turned away players due to lack of space.
Fellow Labor councillor Margaret Wood said it was "often hard to find the right balance when you have so many different interests and needs to meet" and felt the request to the state government was a good solution.
A motion to write to the state government asking it to buy the gasworks site was supported by Greens and Liberal councillors, but opposed by councillor Katrina Wark.
Liberal councillor Callum Pull said he was "disturbed" by commentary in the community that the council should drop its support for the proposed new basketball stadium.
"The reason why that is such a horrifying proposition goes to the heart of why the current proposed location is causing so much concern," he said.
"It's not causing concern just because of residents and people who live next door. It's causing concern because these are playing fields that people's kids play sports on weekends.
"The solution that's being put forward... we're asking for it to be looked at, investigated as an alternative site, because it's very easy to sit there and oppose a new development... but what's your solution? This is one potential solution."
The state government has ruled out including a basketball stadium in its plans for the Broadmeadow sport and entertainment precinct. Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe added a point to the motion to ask the state government why that was the case.
In opposing the motion, Cr Wark said the gasworks site had traffic and contamination issues.
"I think right now three weeks before an election is not the right time for some councillors to shoot from the hip," she said.
"I believe anywhere with existing major road infrastructure such as vacant industrial land north of Industrial Drive at Mayfield and potentially the Maitland Road reserve at Sandgate may be much more suitable."
Cr Winney-Baartz hit back, saying Cr Wark had not proposed a solution.
"You aren't even going to support the investigation of this proposal," she said. "You incorrectly stated that the land is contaminated. It is not. It has been remediated to EPA standards.
"To suggest that an indoor sports facility will be dropped on the site without any associated traffic and planning works is disingenuous and inflammatory."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally stated Newcastle Basketball had lodged an application to build a new indoor facility. A development application is yet to be lodged and an environmental impact statement is being prepared. The story has been updated to reflect this.
