The surface of the court at the Basketball Pavilion in the Showground is starting to scuff as the lacquer comes off so the money will be used to put in a top, modern surface and to redo the hoops.

The hope is that a better surface will enable bigger competitions to be held there.

The secretary of the Glen Innes Basketball Association, Carri Wood, said they hoped to expand the sport beyond the current 6-17 year-old roster.

“We’re hoping this new flooring will bring better competition, as we’re hoping to get schools more involved and potentially start up a senior competition,” Ms Wood said.

“Basketball is very popular with school kids, and an expanded competition would help them carry through and potentially start up a summer competition.”

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said the money from the NSW Community Building Partnerships fund would allow the Glen Innes Basketball Association to open up the increasingly popular sport to the broader community.

“The current outdated court surface, markings and hoops will all be replaced and upgraded, providing a fresh, modern basketball facility for the community,” Mr Marshall said. “The court floor to be sanded back, revarnished and the markings for both basketball and netball repainted.”

Apart from resurfacing, the lines on the court will be repainted – the current ones are in an out-dated configuration.

“With modern line markings”, said Mr Marshall, “Glen Innes Basketball hopes to attract teams from across the region, which would significantly boost the standard of competition for all.”

The funding will also replace the hoops with a modern electronic models, helping match officials quickly adjust the height of the hoops for each age group.

“Currently the small but dedicated support team has to manually wind the hoops up and down,” Mr Marshall said. “This is a time-consuming and laborious process, especially when it needs to be performed several times in an afternoon.”

Works are expected to start soon, with completion anticipated for mid-year.