Two Hamilton teens are wondering why the city’s plan to build a much needed basketball court in Gage Park is going to take 25 years.

“I don’t know about you, but I will be 41 when this court is supposed to be built,” Norrie King, 16, told councillors at Monday’s Public Works Committee meeting.

“And I’m just speaking from seeing my parents that I will probably be more focused on back pain than playing recreational basketball,” she added, causing councillors to laugh inside council chambers.

King and her friend Julia Neven, also 16, spoke to councillors on Monday asking the city that the court, which was supposed to be built by 2051, be done and ready to play on next year.

In their presentation at the meeting, they described their excitement for the WNBA team Toronto Tempo and NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They also talked about the love the community has for basketball and how they often see recreation centres “packed” with young hoopers.

“There is a dense population of youth around Gage Park that don’t all have a court within a kilometre or two of their homes, and we want to change that,” said Neven at the committee meeting on Monday.

The pair got a couple of questions and comments from councillors, including Maureen Wilson of Ward 1, who thanked them for pointing out the issue and asked them how it makes them feel to be out in the court.

“It’s a really freeing experience,” said King.

Neven said basketball, through which she became friends with King, is popular among the kids in the neighbourhood. The closest big court for them to play in, however, is at Montgomery Park 3 km away.

“That’s not much of a walking distance from me, especially if I just want to shoot some hoops for a little bit,” she told CBC Hamilton.

Another, smaller court, is located at Lifesavers Park, 1.5 km away.

‘I was just shocked’

Neven said she’s wanted a court to play on for the past couple of years, and when talking to her basketball coach about it in May 2025, they came up with the idea of looking at the city’s Recreation Master Plan.

They looked up basketball courts in the doc and saw one planned for Gage Park, required by 2051.

“I was just shocked,” said Neven. “I was happy they considered it. But 2051 is so far from now.”

Neven brought the idea up to King, who helped spread the word in the community, and soon they “had a lot of people who really wanted a court,” said Neven.

They then met with Ward 3 councillor Nrinder Nann, who told CBC Hamilton she was “truly inspired by their civic engagement as youth.”

Nann said her own daughter, who is in Grade 5, loves basketball. She said her daughter tried out for the school’s basketball team before the school made the decision to only have students Grade 6 and up on the team.

“Immediately, her friends also reached out to ask where the closest park basketball courts were for them to play recreationally and practice. Many of those girls would also benefit from a multi-court in Gage Park sooner than later,” Nann said in an email.

‘Direct civic participation is powerful,’ says Nann

Nann plans to put forward a motion that, once ratified by council, will be asking staff to look into moving up the construction of the court to 2027/2028 and report back in the first quarter of next year. According to the motion, there are only three basketball courts in Ward 3.

The city’s recreation master plan identified a growing demand for basketball and other court sports, which are “accessible, affordable and casual play opportunities for people of most ages and abilities.”

The fact that basketball is a free and accessible sport that gets her and her friends off their phones is a big plus for Neven, which is “hard to find nowadays.”

“We just, like, want to be outside … and make more memories instead of just being on our phones, because we’re not gonna have memories from that we have memories from playing basketball together,” she said.

Nann said it’s “essential” that young people like Neven and King use their passion to take action so that council can make sure it’s prioritizing the right things for youth in the city.

“Direct civic participation is powerful,” she said.

Neven and King hope they can encourage other teens to try and make change in their community.

“Don’t be afraid to go and present in front of people,” said King. “Or talk to city council members about your concerns or needs that you feel would help our community or the city.”

“There’s just so much, like, brokenness in the city and in the world … we need to start making more changes. Otherwise, nothing’s going to happen,” said Neven.