The award recognises an innovative idea that has positively impacted sport and society.
BE discovered it had won bronze at an awards ceremony which took place at Old Billingsgate on the 29 November.
“We are overjoyed at being named in third place.
“#ProjectSwish captures the essence of why basketball is such a beautiful sport. The game brings so many people from all walks of life together, breaks barriers, brings meaning to many people’s lives, all while having fun and staying active.
“The campaign is a conduit for all those things by engaging with local basketball communities to provide nets for their local hoops in the first instance, right the way to collectively renewing our tired outdoor basketball courts so everyone can enjoy playing basketball together on safe, bright and inspiring spaces.
“The campaign is helping to bring English basketball culture to the fore and this award recognises that. But there’s so much more to do. We’re just getting started."
#ProjectSwish is an outdoor initiative started by Basketball England 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.
It has distributed upwards of 10,000 free basketball nets for basketball players from regions across England to hang on the rims of their local court, helping more people to take ownership of and to enjoy their outdoor basketball spaces, and to be fit and active.
From nets, #ProjectSwish has grown into full-scale court renovations of community basketball courts, gaining attention from councils, clubs, artists, funders, individuals and commercial organisations, including Wilson, Footlocker, NBA, Hoopsfix and Universal Pictures. Basketball England has gone on to support over 30 outdoor court projects nationwide through the campaign, transforming run-down public spaces into assets for the local community.
Part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, BE, Sport England and Birmingham City Council are currently renovating and enhancing 17 basketball courts across England’s second biggest city through the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games legacy project.
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.
Category winners were iGolf - England Golf and Norwich City FC won the silver.
The other finalists in the innovation award category were:
With over 500 industry professionals attending the ceremony, it's one of the highlights of the sports business calendar.
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