Basketball Federation Hands Over $20K In Equipment to Districts

Basketballs are bouncing again across Belize, and this time, it’s by design. From Belize City to Corozal, the Belize Basketball Federation is rolling out a hands-on plan to grow the game where it matters most, at the community level. Today, district associations received fresh equipment, giving young players new tools and fresh motivation to step onto the court. Instead of waiting for talent to rise, the federation is taking the game directly to the districts, investing in youth, rebuilding programs, and creating real opportunities for aspiring athletes. President Jacob Leslie says it’s about leveling the playing field. His vision: every district equipped, every young player supported, and a clear path from the neighborhood court to elite competition. For many young Belizeans, this is about access, opportunity, and a shot at something bigger.

 

Jacob Leslie, President, Belize Basketball Federation

“When we first took over the Basketball Federation four years ago, one of the first document I drafted was a training and developmental program and a budget to coincide with it. We had realized the major impact that the Belize Bank Bulldogs program had, which was only based in Belize City one time a week, but if you watch at the semi-professional level, you will know seventy to eighty percent of the elite players came from through that program. And so it was something we wanted to replicate through all the districts to have everybody in every district having that opportunity, hurdle being equipment, right? So four years later, we applied for a grant through Olympic Committee, which we received, and it was for twenty thousand dollars but what we did with that was instead of buying it through the US or through neighboring countries, we ordered through China where we could get it at a much reasonable price and a much higher quantity to have the impact that we wanted. So that’s what we did today, disbursement of those equipment, hopefully to improve the grassroot level of basketball. Every association today signed an MOU with the Basketball Federation holding themselves accountable to exercising certain programs to utilize these. Certain summer camps to be had at certain age groups, at certain quantity of members. So we intend to have them – we hold them accountable, right? So we’re giving you these things but it’s not for you, it’s for the use of the youths and the development of the sport. So the MOU outlines what each association has to do in order to maintain a good standard with the federation.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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