I read this on the ICKE forum - basketball courts with huge fences being built in parks next to schools all over the UK.

I have seen then in one West Country city - I was bemused because no one plays basketball - and I asked someone if they would be used and they said no and they had no idea why they had been put there.

Well I thought it was just one stupid local authority doing this - but it seems that it is being done in many places.

So is it happening near you in your "region" >?

and why ?

are we going to be forced to take up this sport as a national sport ? and why the very high fences ?

My mother rang me and asked why her local Police Station had a new very high fence and these new sliding Police gates - and I had to tell her that even on Midsomer Murders Barnaby's station had the same thing - there seems to be a big beefing up of security - possibly because of terrorism >?

Interesting. In a newly developed housing estate there, slap bang in the middle, is a basketball court. High fence an all. One would have expected a play park for the kiddies. The mind boggles..

So Angel - any idea why ?

It seems so bizarre unless there is a company sponsoring these courts and they seem to be indentikit. I have seen 3 of them in one City - and they are identical and never seem to be used.

Where was the one you saw ?

This has been going on for years. We have loads in Portsmouth. I think the idea is that there is nothing in them for the little children to damage themselves on. So much cheaper than slides and roundabouts. The council cant get sued if anyone falls off anything and the repair cost is also minimal.Just a lick of paint and a resurfacing evry few years. Most of them are barely used for Basketball but the one near Asda in Pompey is used for its purpose by the local Chinese community.

I'm amused by the comment that nobody plays basketball. Britain has a professional basketball league, and the schools I attended each had a basketball court, although they were indoor. It is played a lot more in the USA, but it's never been unknown over here.

Schools do play basketball indoors.

None play outdoors as far as I have found out.

I cant understand why they dont build 5 a side football pitches which WOULD be used.

Why Basketball courts everywhere - which dont get used apart from immigrant communities.

Perhaps they are for a planned "invasion" of the UK by citizens of countries who do play basketball outside.

We certainly dont.

I cant think of an outdoor basketball league in the whole of the UK ? Anyone know of one ? certainly not being played in housing estates ....

So what we have is this

1. Basketball Courts being built not for basketball

2. They need HIGH fences around them

3. They are built in the MIDDLE of housing developments

4. Hardly any are used for basketball.

If this is not weird I dont know anything anymore !!!

Maybe they are Netball courts!!!

Yes, netball is probably the most popular team sport for women in the uk. Virtually every school plays it.

Outdoor basketball courts can be used for many activities. They just happen to have a basket at each end. There has been one on my sister's housing estate in Sussex for the past ten years and it's a gathering place for kids to play football without straying into traffic, and to hang out, and sometimes they even play basketball.

So they are not strictly for basketball. I think it's just that the baskets provide an opportunity while taking no ground space. Most kids can adapt the markings for football and other games. There are positive ways to look at things, if you try.