Twilight Basketball

Twilight Basketball is an initiative that brings together children aged 15 and under to participate in games of 5 on 5, while participants 16 and over test their skills in games of 3 on 3 basketball every Friday night at the Taurama Aquatic & Indoor Centre.

“Most of the participants that come for Twilight Basketball play barefoot or share shoes between their friends,” said BFPNG’s Hoops for Health coordinator, Delisha Liri.

Children under 15 years played five on five from 5pm to 7pm; while 16 years and over tried their skills in the three on three matches played from 7pm to 9pm. 

BFPNG teamed up with the PNG High Performance through their Talent Pathway Program to deliver the third phase.  

Talent pathway coordinator and James Cook University – Honours Researcher, Kieran Sciberras, explained Twilight Basketball was not just about community engagement. 

Following on from the programs huge success last year and also beginning on this year, the third instalment of Twilight Basketball will once again see the Hoops for Health (H4H) initiative delivered on Friday evenings from 5pm-9pm.

More than 2000 people participated throughout the last two sessions of the program with some Friday night’s drawing crowds of more than 400 players.

The aim of the program is to use basketball as a vehicle to educate young people about non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) and leading active lifestyles.

At each gathering, young people aged five to fifteen had the chance to play full-court games of 5X5 basketball from 5pm to 7pm.

Once the 5X5 games concluded at 7pm, the courts then shifted to a half-court set-up, for 3X3 competition matches for players aged sixteen and older, which ran until 9pm.

Hoops for Health (H4H) coaches, which include members of the national men’s and women’s basketball teams, stepped in as mentors, helping give tips on how to better play the sport.

Following on from the program’s huge success late last year, the second instalment of Twilight Basketball will once again see the Hoops for Health (H4H) initiative being delivered.

More than 2,000 people participated throughout the program’s six-week operation in 2016, with some Friday night’s drawing crowds of more than 400.

The free program is open to all ages, with 5V5 games for children aged 15 & under taking place from 5pm to 7pm and 3X3 matches for those aged 16 & over happening from 7pm to 9pm.

The BFPNG Hoops for Health (H4H) initiative has been running every Friday evening for the past six-weeks.

During that time, more than 2000 players have participated in the free 3x3 and 5v5 Basketball games.

While the program focuses on fitness and fun on-court, BFPNG also teamed up with local organizations to help promote education around important community issues.

Last Friday night the International Organization for Migration delivered a workshop.

The Taurama Aquatic and Indoor Centre has been seeing a lot more visitors, especially children every Friday nights since the start of the Twilight Basketball program in October.

This initiative has brought together many children, aged 15 and under, to participate in games of 5on5, while participants 16 and over test their skills in games of 3x3 basketball.

This free event has been a huge hit with more than 400 children in the city getting involved for the past month.

But sadly, last night saw the end of the six-week program.

This will take place tonight at the Twilight Basketball session at the Taurama Aquatic & Indoor Centre.

With the usual on-court basketball action, the Blood Drive team will be setting up four beds to collect blood from 5pm to 9pm this evening.

BFPNG Chief Executive Officer Joel Khalu says that Twilight Basketball provides the perfect platform to help promote the Youth Blood Drive initiative.

 “The Blood Drive event is about more than just giving blood. It is about bringing awareness regarding the importance of maintaining healthy life habits,” says Khalu.

Children aged 15 and under took centre stage and showcased their skills first, playing full court games of 5 on 5 from 5pm to 7pm.

It was then time for the older age group  16 and above to throw down via the 3 on 3 version of the sport, with half-court matches taking place from 7pm to 9pm.

Twilight Basketball is a brand new BFPNG Hoops for Health (H4H) project, which is being delivered under the national federation’s community engagement strategy.