A brand new professional-grade basketball court has been officially unveiled in the lower city, thanks to the work of a beloved Hamilton band.
The Rally Court at Woodlands Park was made possible by Arkells, who began working with councillors Nrinder Nann and Jason Farr in January on a plan to refurbish a court in a part of the city that most needed it.
Arkells frontman Max Kerman said he always likes to play basketball at local courts when the band is on tour but realized Hamilton didn’t have any high-quality public courts and said they wanted to change that.
“We just asked, what’s the neighbourhood that could use a little bit of love? What’s the park that could use a little love? And they said Woodlands is the spot.”
The band fundraised about $80,000, thanks to big-name donors like Ron Foxcroft and the Foxcroft Family, Toronto Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse, Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia and Basketball Canada.
Foxcroft presented Max Kerman and the rest of the Arkells with a Fox 40 gold basketball in honour of their fundraising efforts to make the court at Barton and Wentworth a reality.
It’s just a short walk away from Tim Horton’s Field, where Arkells will be playing the long-awaited “Rally” on Saturday, a follow-up to their successful show of the same name in 2018.