An outdoor basketball court in Winnipeg is set for a major facelift — and expansion.
“The Mayfair Project,” as it has been dubbed, will see the public court at the corner of River Avenue and Donald Street refurbished with new backboards and rims while a second, completely new, court will be built next to it.
The project is an initiative of the Winnipeg Sea Bears, the city’s professional team, along with the non-profit Buckets & Borders, which builds and refurbishes basketball courts around the world. Winnipeg-based company Payworks is also supporting the project.
A local Winnipeg artist — yet to be chosen — will put on the finishing touch with a full on-court mural.
The court is scheduled to be completed by July 5, with a grand opening planned for July 7.
“When we came here, one of our main goals was to not only have a successful basketball team and business but also to be, hopefully, a positive impact on basketball locally and on the community,” said Sea Bears president Jason Smith.
“When we heard about [Buckets & Borders] and had an opportunity to meet with them, it just seemed like a perfect fit for our goal … improving access to spaces for folks in under-served communities.”
The announcement comes three days after the Canadian Elite Basketball League named the Sea Bears as host for the league’s championship weekend in 2025.
More details about what that weekend entails will be released throughout the summer and into the fall, the league said.
Past championship weekends have featured the CEBL’s annual awards, minor basketball events and music performances to go along with the premier showcase — the league’s top four teams competing for the right to hoist its trophy.
The Sea Bears joined the CEBL last season and drew record-breaking numbers of fans for individual games. The team also set a league full-season attendance record of 65,609.
And it appears the team has sustained that momentum, even though the start of its sophomore year is still a month away.
“We’re doing very well — we’ve sold over 5,000 tickets to our home opener already. So it looks like demand is continuing on in season two, which is great,” Smith said. “We’re excited to get it underway.”
The season begins May 22 on the road in Saskatchewan. The Sea Bears’ first home game is May 24.
Though it’s happening a year before the championship weekend, the Mayfair Project is one of the community initiatives being undertaken in conjunction with that event, which aims to leave a lasting positive impact at the grassroots level of the game, a Friday news release from the Sea Bears said.
The court “has quite a bit of space that we feel could be better utilized,” said Smith. “It already has a bit of art with those big marbles there and I think it’s a fairly visible spot, so a lot of people will notice it’s happening and be able to come and play.”
As part of the legacy of the championship weekend legacy, the Sea Bears will be able to refurbish another court next year, he added.
The hope is to do at least one court a year, said Smith.
“We just have funding lined up for the next two years and we’ll build towards a longer-term partnership with [Buckets & Borders] as we go.”