British Columbia’s only professional men’s basketball team is helping to get more kids shooting hoops.

The Langley-based Vancouver Bandits—who compete in the Canadian Elite Basketball League—recently announced the Courts Project, which has seen the team partner with the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (I·SPARC) and FortisBC to build four new basketball courts in First Nations communities across the province.

Dylan Kular, president of the Bandits, says the idea came after I·SPARC informed the team that the province’s kids—and in particular, Indigenous youth—loved playing basketball.

“When we learned that basketball was the most popular sport among youth in BC,” he says, “it was our obligation as a pro team to connect with I·SPARC and work with them on a project.”

The Bandits have been involved with supporting local courts around BC since 2018, when they initially helped replace nets, backboards, and rims in outdoor courts. The expansion into building new courts was pretty natural, though it took time to ensure it was being done in a way that would benefit Indigenous communities for the long-term.

“It’s great to go and do a youth camp, but that’s more of a helicopter approach,” Kular says. “Does that really benefit communities? Are we really making an impact?”

The project has so far completed full courts in Shxwhá:y Village (near Chilliwack) and Snuneymuxw First Nation (Nanaimo), and a half-court in Soowahlie First Nation (near Cultus Lake). A fourth court is currently being worked on in Sumas First Nation (near Abbotsford).

Basketball courts are expensive to properly install, with costs of grading, surfacing, materials, labour, and equipment running into the tens of thousands. BC’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport supported the project, along with local partners for each of the different communities. It’s the only program of its kind in Canada that Kular knows of.

Sqwulutsultun Bill Yoachim, a Snuneymuxw First Nation councillor, says the project builds on a relationship between the Bandits and the Nation that began in 2022 at the Junior All Native Tournament (JANT) in Kelowna.

The annual basketball tournament, which sees over 90 teams gather to compete in under-17 and under-13 competitions, has been running since 1960, and forms part of the rich legacy of basketball in Indigenous communities. Snuneymuxw hosted JANT in 2023, when plans to build an outdoor court were solidified. The court itself was completed around three months later.

“[The Bandits] definitely weren’t all talk,” Yoachim says. “When they say they’ll do something, they do it.”

Yoachim says he’s already seen the benefits of the court, with kids of all ages flocking to it as a spot for both hanging out and playing games (everything from young children bouncing balls to organized three-on-three tournaments). While Snuneymuxw has an indoor court, the outdoor one has become the place to be—especially in the summer—and serves as one of the community’s few dedicated park and recreation spaces.

“To hear basketballs bouncing again into the night, kids playing and laughing continuously… it’s amazing,” Yoachim reflects. “The whole goal with ourselves and the Bandits is to get the kids playing basketball… creating the space and place for this healthy activity.”

A new initiative within the project focuses on teaching players how to become coaches and officiators, aiming to continue deepening the links between the Bandits and First Nations and ensuring that the new courts aren’t the end of the story. It also provides a potential pathway for youth athletes to continue harnessing their basketball skills as they grow up.

“I really wanted to make sure, as I worked with [communities] on developing this program, that this is going to drive stronger, sustainable growth for the sport by having more Indigenous coaches and Indigenous officials across the province,” Kular says. “Youth and adults in their community could then run their own teams.”

The success of the Courts Project has led to interest from more communities, and Kular says they hope to help build even more courts in the coming years. Strengthening basketball is one thing, but having more public space for sports also helps to strengthen communities.

“Every community of every demographic,” Yoachim says, “deserves a court in their neighbourhood.”