The World's Oldest Basketball Court

Shared values. Shared vision.

Founder’s Circle Update, a year of progress.

The project has the support of Canada Basketball,

the sport’s governing body.

The national organization is providing ideas, connections and guidance, where appropriate, according to spokesperson Matt Walker.

theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/article-canadaoldest-basketball-court-st-stephen-new-brunswick/

Shared values. Shared vision.

Thank you for your support for the Oldest Basketball Court in the World. Together, you and your fellow donors have surpassed our Phase I target of $1,000,000 dedicated to creating an international heritage basketball experience site in St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

In the following pages you will find a brief overview and update on the project’s progress to date, a look at current activities, and a foretaste of how the completed project will look. Your generosity has enabled us to purchase the court building and an adjacent property that has been torn down to make way for part of the interactive basketball entertainment centre.

At this time, we have an understanding with Canada Basketball to incorporate a portion of the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in the St.Stephen location. As well we have an agreement with CambridgeSeven firm, one of North America’s leading designers of Sport Heritage facilities, to move us forward. And, as you’ll see, following the very successful “Archie” celebrity golf tournament last summer, we have generated significant interest in the senior basketball world of Toronto and well beyond.

We are about to launch Phase II of our fundraising campaign. At the same time, we continue to interface with all three levels of government. The Town of St. Stephen has been especially helpful to date. As we enter Phase II we welcome your continuing interest in this unique and exciting project. Please share your input with us as to how we may increase our donor base or otherwise accelerate the project as we move forward.

Thank you once again for your generous support. We will continue to keep you updated on our progress.

David Ganong Volunteer, World’s Oldest Basketball Court

The opportunity to walk through a piece of basketball history was tremendous.

Michael Grange

Most read/followed Basketball writer in Canada

This great group of people from Toronto and all across New Brunswick are trying to carve out a piece of Basketball history.

Media Coverage So Far.

Media attention about The World’s Oldest Basketball Court started to surface in late 2021 but took a sudden high jump when in the National print Edition of the Globe and Mail featured the project on Page 1 - and, with a full 2-page inside spread in Section 1 - late in January 2022.

At once the project had the attention of Canadians coast-to-cost and especially the fast growing number of basketball fans. The ball was in-motion and the media coverage expanded at a rapid pace and continues in print, broadcast and online.

Basketball’s popular SLAM Magazine also featured a 2-page spread in its June/July edition.

That was very moving to stand on the World’s

Oldest Basketball Court... I’m on the Board of Directors of Canada Basketball.

We’re looking for a central wing of the Basketball Hall of Fame... A physical wing on the West Coast and on the East Coast and I just think the World’s Oldest Basketball Court is a perfect fit for the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame.

Taken from CHCO interview with Paul Jones, Raptors’ broadcaster and member of Canada Basketball’s Board of Directors

Key Milestones Phase I Founder’s Circle Campaign

November 2021 - Funding Goal achieved: $1 million raised

Reaching the Phase I goal enabled these key milestones:

• Purchase of 6 King Street (the court) on November 29, 2021.

• Purchase of adjacent building - 10 King Street on March 30, 2022.

• Necessary maintenance work on court building.

• Heritage Standing and John Leroux completed an evaluation of historically significant elements; catalogued items and recommended restoration process.

• Engaging of CambridgeSeven to do a Concept Development report - collecting all of the potential ideas and molding them into a practical visitor experience within the building space we have, and budget. They would be the leading firm in North America for this type of work.

MacFarlane CPGA Pro

I just think it’s the tip of the iceberg on how big it’s going to get...

Evan

National Symbol - a signature piece of the nation’s heritage, culture and contribution to the world.

The game of basketball, loved by more than two billion people around the world, is Canada’s gift to international sport. Canadian, Dr. James Naismith invented it in 1891. Two years later, Naismith’s pupil, Lyman Archibald of Truro, Nova Scotia, brought the game to Atlantic Canada, and taught it to the boys with whom he was working at the YMCA in St. Stephen, NB.

More than a century later, in 2010, a fire in downtown St. Stephen revealed an intact treasure, lost and forgotten for generations.

It was the very gym where Archibald had coached Eastern Canada’s first basketball game, in October, 1893.

The oldest surviving basketball court in the world.

Thanks to the generosity of our founding donors, this historic location will be revived as a fully authentic heritage site, a basketball museum and experience centre, and a living symbol of Canada’s sporting heritage.

The Oldest Basketball Court in the World is Being Transformed into a Basketball Experience Center

SLAM! Magazine

“The Archie” – a New Tradition

Lyman Archibald brought basketball to Atlantic Canada in 1893 when he took charge of the St. Stephen YMCA.

In the summer of 2022, we celebrated his memory with the first annual “The Archie,” - a celebrity golf tournament at the renowned Algonquin course in St. Andrews, NB named after Lyman himself!

The event was “Sold Out” attracting celebrities from across Canada - along with hundreds of Maritimers attending the Gala evening. Not least among the activities they enjoyed was a visit to the world’s oldest basketball court.

Their comments offer compelling evidence of the success of the event in creating positive awareness of our project nationwide.

“Pleasure to meet you on The Archie weekend. What a marvelous job on all fronts you did on behalf of the drive for the WOBC. We plan to financially support WOBC over the coming years.”

“It was great to be part of something that will be bigger and better next year. Koselmolpa (Love you all).”

“I heard nothing but rave reviews from my fellow guests. The passion and meaning behind the project was apparent from the moment we stepped off the plane. This first iteration is only the beginning of an incredible story, I suspect.”

Miranda Ayim 12 year vet of Canada Women’s National Team. Flag bearer for Canada at 2020 Olympics

Harry Sappier

Peskotomuhkati First Nations

Dick Slipp Member of NB Sports Hall of Fame. Husband of Joyce Slipp, the first captain of a Canadian Women’s Olympic Team.

It’s something, I love what they are going to do with it, I love where the ideas are going... it’s so vital for our country to understand how important this court is to the development of this game in this country

Raptors’ broadcaster

...If you’re a basketball lover, you cannot appreciate it any more. This is just an amazing piece of our basketball history.

Sherman Hamilton

CHCO,

A Commitment to Youth at Risk

James Naismith invented basketball to provide healthy indoor exercise for what he called his “class of incorrigibles.” Ever since, the sport has played a positive role in helping youth at risk — promoting fitness; encouraging teamwork and a sense of belonging; providing an alternative to delinquency.

The need still exists. Our research into this social issue has shown that nearly a quarter of all Canadians are under the age of twenty. Of these, more than 20% face a variety of challenges: poverty, abuse, mental illness, substance abuse and many others.

Once established, The World’s Oldest Basketball Court and Experience Centre will embrace the opportunity to help youth at risk as a cornerstone of its days-to-day programming.

Engagement with local, regional, provincial, and national basketball programs oriented to young people will enhance the physical fitness, social engagement, and team building aspects of basketball, aspects that extend well beyond on-the-court play and into life circumstances and youth development.

There is something very special about the World’s

Oldest Basketball Court.

It’s a bit hard to put your finger on it but we see it over and over again when people come to visit and see it for themselves. It is often quite an emotional experience for them to stand on the floor, to stand on a piece of pure Canadiana, on a piece of the world’s history of such a wonderful sport. It’s a truly unique heritage site that somehow speaks directly to the shared values and shared vision of our nation.

David Ganong

Volunteer

PHILANTHROPY:

$10 Million Major donor Capital Campaign to commence January 2023

Bringing life and purpose back to The World’s Oldest Basketball court will require a community effort - on a national scale - and $10 Million.

We anticipate that the funding will come from the senior levels of government - raising about $6.2 million with $3.8 million dollars to be raised through the private sector on the basis of private philanthropy.

The committee driving this project is working on all potential sources and announcements will be made as progress is made. More information will be shared in early 2023.

FOUNDING FUNDERS

• The John E. Irving Family (Isles Foundation)

• Tom Liston

• J.T. Clark Family Foundation Inc.

• Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation

• JD Irving

• Dunn Foundation

• Mary Lou and Kelly Shotbolt

• Frank McKenna and TD Group

• Michael Mieghan

• J. Scott McCain

• Kathryn A McCain

• Ann McCain-Evans

• Redleaf Foundation

• Fred Nicholson

• Disher Homes Ltd.

The Founders Campaign additionally received many very important smaller early donations.