Shortlisted for the Sports Innovation Award, which recognises a creative idea that has positively impacted sport and society, the campaign was judged to have done just that. The winner will be named at the awards ceremony at Old Billingsgate on 29 November.
Other finalists in the category are:
#ProjectSwish started in 2019, with two main objectives - to gain an understanding of outdoor basketball court usage in England and to improve the poor standard of our courts, one net at a time.
The concept is simple:
‘Tell #ProjectSwish about your court – where is it? How many baskets does it have? and What condition is it in? And in return, they’ll send you free nets for you to hang on the rims at your court.’
To date, the project has sent out over 10,000 nets – helping more people to take ownership of and enjoy their outdoor basketball spaces, and to be fit and active.
From nets, #ProjectSwish grew into full-scale renovations of community basketball courts, gaining attention from councils, clubs, artists, funders, and commercial organisations, including Wilson, Footlocker, NBA, Hoopsfix and Universal Pictures. BE has supported more than 30 outdoor court projects nationwide through the campaign, transforming run-down public spaces into assets for the local community.
“Wow! We are over the moon to be a named finalist for this year’s Sports Business Awards.
“It’s so thrilling to see how a small idea to get more people to engage with their local outdoor court by hanging up some new nets has grown into working with multiple stakeholders to deliver full-scale court renovations that attract many new people to basketball, and to enjoy their local open spaces, creating a sense of community and cutting anti-social behaviour.
“Thank you to the Sports Business Awards and the judges for believing #ProjectSwish to be the brilliant campaign we think it is. This news will help more people know about and engage with it and push it on to the next stage.
“We look forward to meeting the other finalists in November and celebrating our achievement thus far. Fingers crossed we can go on to win the whole category.”
Launched in 2017, the Sports Business Awards – supported by The Telegraph - celebrate the vital influence of business within sport and recognises organisations, teams and individuals who excel in their roles to facilitate sporting excellence.
With over 500 industry professionals attending the ceremony, it's one of the highlights of the sports business calendar.
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