Basketball New Zealand

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The New Zealand Community Trust is to support the Canterbury Rams 2008 development programme for the Dominion Finance NBL with a grant of $150,000.

The Canterbury Basketball Association announced last week that unless major community support could be generated for the Rams, the team might have to withdraw from the 2008 league.

NZCT has agreed to fund the team’s community outreach programmes, significant tools for raising profile for the sport, awareness of the team and community contact with elite athletes.

The programme will put players into schools, development leagues, coaching clinics, age-group representative programmes and holiday programmes.

“The support of the New Zealand Community Trust is crucial to our ability to deliver the community elements of the 2008 Rams season,” said CBA president Peter Dwan.

“We need to be engaging with our community and using players to develop awareness, skills and likeability for basketball. The NZCT funding allows us to do just that in 2008.

“This commitment of the NZCT to local sport is fundamental to our ability to deliver quality programmes.”