Stephanie Rudnick
22 Sept 2022
MKTG And Basketball New South Wales Team Up To Get Kids On The Court Through Local Grant Program
Initiative Launches in Lead Up to 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Kicking off TODAY in Sydney
Today, MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia (MKTG) showed the latest example of its commitment to growing youth involvement in sport with the launch of a grant program with Basketball New South Wales (BNSW) and its Dream Hoops 1000 program.
The Basketball NSW Foundation's Dream Hoops 1000, seeks to provide up to 1000 grants that give youngsters most in need the opportunity to play regardless of their financial circumstances. The program works with kids and their families to overcome the financial barriers they face in accessing basketball by providing registration fees, games fees, uniforms and gear expenses.
With MKTG's sponsorship of the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup launching today in Sydney, MKTG and BNSW will encourage fans to donate to https://asf.org.au/donate/dream-hoops-1000 and help raise funds to distribute grants to as many kids as possible to cover some costs associated with the local basketball program in their areas.
One of MKTG's core principles is to leverage its resources and networks to help those in need. With offices in Australia, the US, the UK, and Canada, the agency has committed to an initiative called "Play It Forward," an internal campaign that empowers the team to make a meaningful impact by leveraging the agency's vast resources, networks and knowledge. Born in the early stages of the pandemic, this is the first time the Australia team could launch a "Play it Forward" initiative outside of the virtual world.
To celebrate the launch of the initiative, MKTG will be producing fundraising activations in and around the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Sydney, will be driving fundraising messages on the LED, Big Screen and around the stadiums, and will reward the NSW U16 Girls State Champions the opportunity to experience a World Cup event in style. MKTG's creative team also developed a new logo and brand identity for Dream Hoops 1000. The new logo can be found here.
“We are so grateful to MKTG for helping us reinvigorate the Dream Hoops 1000 program,” said Maria Nordstrom, Basketball NSW CEO. “This program is so important as growing the game of basketball is one of our core missions and giving kids the opportunity to get a ball in their hands and a place to play, learn and grow is essential in ensuring not just basketball’s future in this country, but passionate, healthy young people across our state.”
"Our desire for Play It Forward is to inspire change and encourage others to join us by giving back and making a positive impact in their communities," said Matt Connell. "We have been a partner of the Women's Basketball World Cup for the last 18 months and had a courtside seat to understand the power of the sport directly, especially on kids in terms of leadership development and fitness. We are honoured to be part of celebrating these incredible female players and for the ability to share this wonderful game with kids around NSW who may have otherwise not had the opportunity to try out a game so many of us love."