A stage two $5.2 million funding bid is underway to tie the project together and capitalise on what the project, and construction, is built on: a community hub for all.

As the path to the November state government election shapes up, regional issues are becoming deciding factors. Community user groups have made clear this second stage would really bring BSEC to its potential and this is why the project features in The Courier’s Election Selection, a list of the city’s top funding priorities leading into the polls.

When the $24 million BSEC redevelopment opens next June, the project will alleviate a long, acute court shortage for indoor sports across the city. A new 3000-seat showcourt will allow a range of grassroots indoor sports such as netball, volleyball, badminton and basketball to call for elite events in their discipline. But the showcourt will also enable other non-sporting events, such as large forums and conferences, to use the stadium.

At the core, the stadium offers space for community groups to develop and grow. University of the Third age and Federation University have been strong supporters.

Stage two aims to take community use to the next level.

University of the Third Age’s meditation group has flagged it wants to move into BSEC and would have done so already, in the existing stadium, had it not been for construction nearby.

Basketball Ballarat helped the group find a temporary base in the change rooms of marquee men’s team, the Miners, at the nearby bustling Minerdome. While the group might have a little more room to move in the BSEC redevelopment, stage two plans allow for multi-purpose rooms specific for community groups like U3A to use.

U3A meditation leader Marilyn Rifter said the group can already feel the potential for the stadium from its experience at the Minerdome this year.

“The space we’re in is great,” Ms Rifter said. “It’s a good place to put the chairs out in a circle and the dimensions of the room work.

Ms Rifter said the group worked general stadium noise and activity into it meditation practice but a dedicated room could make a big difference.

The group averages about 12 people per class in winter for U3A, an organisation predominantly made up of seniors and semi-retirees.

U3A has long advocated for the opportunities the BSEC redevelopment would create, like larger spaces for classes like ballroom dancing. Smaller multi-purpose rooms, doubling as athlete lecture rooms, could be adapted for classes like yoga or meditation.

Organisers also say there would also the chance to link up with other community groups.

Stage two plans feature a regional community strength and conditioning. This would double as a learning centre for sports science working with grassroots and elite athletes and community organisations, like University of the Third Age.

Wendouree Indoor Sports, the collective behind the BSEC project, estimate a potential user base of 8,750 participants on a weekly bases for more than 40 weeks of the year. This includes participants from sports, community and education sectors.

The $5.2 million funding bid would also provide for unstructured, casual recreation in four outdoor half-courts, purpose built for three-on-three street-style basketball.

Canberra was the first Australian city to open purpose-built 3x3 courts in June last year and Basketball Ballarat has been developing plans in this space since October.

In Canberra, the courts have attracted at-risk youth who just want to shoot around with friends and university players, neither of which tend to want to commit to organised basketball competition. 

About 80 per cent of physical activity in Victoria is deemed active recreation, rather than structured competition sport, according to Active Victoria. 

Basketball Ballarat major projects Nick Grylewicz told The Courier earlier this year the concept could play a major role in improving health and well-being of young people not already connected to organised sport.

The 3x3 format is also fast catching on internationally and professionally. The game is also set to enter the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

A portion of the stage two funding bid will create a uniform shell for the BSEC, replacing the existing stadium exterior.

- 2004-05: Minerdome upgrades to host basketball for Commonwealth Games in March 2006.

- 2006-10: Ballarat Basketball investigates options to expand. Other indoor sports groups enter talks in September 2010 to address critical court shortage.

- 2011: Community groups like University of the Third Age and sporting bodies like Basketball Victoria Country explore chance for shared bases and community use.

- March 2012: Plans for new six-court facility in Wendouree made public.

- May 2013: Council commits to deliver major new indoor sports facility in five-year plan. Elite basketball, netball needs training base. Courts overflowing.

- November 2014: Labor state government delivers $9 million to project with $5 million from council.

- 2015-October 2016: Project narrowly misses funding three times under National Stronger Regions Fund.

- July 31, 2017: Federal government announces $10 million for project under new Building Better Regions Fund.