By Dale Budge
The future of Franklin Basketball Association and the likelihood of the Franklin Bulls continuing to operate in Pukekohe is under serious threat with a major breakdown in the relationship they have with Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre.
The Pukekohe venue has been the home of Franklin Basketball since it broke away from Counties Manukau Basketball in 2019. A total 1,450 registered weekly basketball players currently use the facility.
It has also been the home of the Franklin Bulls Sal’s NBL team for the past two national league seasons.
But a major rift between the centre’s management group Belgravia and the two basketball organisations is threatening to see basketball activity at the venue cease as early as term 4 this year, leaving hundreds of kids without somewhere to play basketball and Franklin Pool & Leisure Centre without its biggest tenant.
Counties Sports Hub has come into possession of an angry letter written by Franklin Basketball GM Jamie Reddish, pleading with Auckland Council, who owns the venue, to step in.
Reddish alleges multiple miscommunication errors from the Australian-owned Belgravia company that is charged with managing the facility, unnecessary demands of cleaning and responsibility and numerous double bookings, leaving Franklin Basketball in a mess at short notice.
Counties Sports Hub is also aware of misquoted charges and other contradictory pieces of communication over the past few months that have contributed to the deterioration of the relationship.
Belgravia responded [via an email Counties Sports Hub has seen] by stating Pukekohe Pool & Leisure is a community facility and that basketball is not the only sport that needs access. Groups running pickle ball and indoor netball have been given the space at the expense of basketball.
Reddish’s email is critical of the late decision to offer the venue to those sports and impact on his organisation more than the actual move.
What is clear is that the venue is no longer big enough to cater for the current demand let alone the significant growth basketball is set to experience in the coming years. In most metrics basketball is the fastest growing sport in New Zealand and future growth will see an even bigger strain on facilities.
Belgravia Leisure’s GM Mark Blake insisted there was no move from his organisation to push basketball out of the venue.
“Over the last three years we have increased the facility from two to three basketball courts effectively increasing the total space by 50%,” Blake said. “Council has put considerable investment into the facility to ensure this happens. We also reduced the available hours to badminton to support Franklin Basketball to reflect the greater demand that basketball has. Franklin Basketball have been given the vast majority of this space. I’m unsure of who has mooted the concept of Franklin Basketball being squeezed out, but this is on nobody’s agenda and has never been discussed.”
Auckland Council remain supportive of Belgravia’s handling of the facility.
“We are committed to supporting basketball and have invested in court upgrades and the operator has discounted rates for court hire,” said Dave Stewart, Auckland Council General Manager Active Communities. “Currently, basketball uses over 95 per cent of peak time stadium and badminton court space at Franklin Pool and Leisure.
“However, as an Auckland Council community facility, Franklin Pool and Leisure must consider the needs of the broader community. We have a duty to provide a range of sport and recreation to service Franklin’s people and their various needs. Our facility management are proposing modest change with basketball retaining its current use of 95 per cent of the court time.
“This term pickle ball was introduced, which has had outstanding results in getting many members of our older communities involved in physical activity. The centre manager has also driven a large access and inclusion programme that has helped many children at risk of not having access to physical activity along with many disabled in our community.
“Our job is to balance the needs of our diverse communities and, importantly, ensure physical activity is available to everybody through a diverse range of sport and recreation services. Basketball will continue to be supported and invested in at Franklin Pool and Leisure, alongside other programmes.”
The other factor in this dispute is the investment into the facility since Franklin Basketball Association was formed.
Auckland Council contributed investment into court upgrades to the tune of $80,000 and Belgravia discounted hire fees for basketball.
At the same time, Franklin Basketball has spent in excess of $350,000 in upgrading the courts and building – upgrades everyone that uses the facility gets to benefit from.
Counties Sports Hub has asked for subsequent info from Auckland Council on its longer-term plans to accommodate the sport of basketball in Pukekohe.
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