From the courts to the Olympics

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Jack Hayes

Considered the world’s number one urban sport, 3x3 basketball is on a meteoric rise from the streets to the biggest stage in world sport: the rescheduled 2021 Tokyo Olympics. 

Fostering the next generation of 3x3 basketball stars and leveraging the power of sport to strengthen social inclusion, education and careers for young people, is The Huddle; an organisation founded by the North Melbourne Football Club which uses the influence of sport to connect people across different ages, genders and cultures. 

The Huddle, in partnership with the National Basketball League (NBL), showcased the cultural wealth of the Victorian community through basketball, with 20 teams taking part in the 3x3 Community Hustle at Moomba Festival. 

According to The Huddle CEO, Cameron McLeod, nearly 20 different cultural groups were represented by over 100 participants varying in age from eight to 25. 

“The opportunity to work with the NBL, the City of Melbourne and the Victorian government is a testament to how well it [The Huddle] is going,” Mr McLeod said. 

“3x3 basketball gives the opportunity for young people to play, to coach, to umpire – it has an educational component – it’s about developing teamwork, it’s about goal setting. There are many skills from everyday life that we work to foster and nurture through sport.” 

Since its foundation over a decade ago, The Huddle has worked with 85,000 young people from over 160 different cultural backgrounds throughout Australia. 

“Last year we had nearly 200 young people gain employment through the program. In the context of COVID-19, that is enormous,” Mr McLeod said. 

“Our end game is educating young people and giving them access effective and sustainable employment opportunities.”

“We need to thank the City of Melbourne and the Victorian government to allow the 3x3 Community Hustle to take place. Given the year that we have just had, it was great to bring the community together, and I think sport does that better than anything.”

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