- News
- 28/09/2026
Basketball players need better center court, UFe steps in
Tantalus Basketball Club has bought two new mobile basketball towers. The cost: twenty thousand euros. Half of the amount is covered by the student club’s own funds, while the University Fund Eindhoven donated the other half. The purchase was necessary, because the Dutch Basketball Association requires first-division games to be played on a proper center court.
Team Heren 1 of Tantalus understands why the Dutch Basketball Association requires them to have a proper center court, where players can move around the basket.
They play in the Promodivisie, the first division in the eastern Netherlands. Last season, the baskets were still attached to the walls of Hall 2 of the Student Sports Center, which caused problems.
“It was dangerous,” says player Jobst Knief (on the left in the photo). “Twice, a player hit their head against the wall. Once it was an opposing player, and once it was a Tantalus player. That player suffered a concussion.”
That danger has now been eliminated. The Student Sports Center has installed new court markings in Hall 2, with more space around the court. The court is two meters longer than last year, says coach Luuk van den Brakel (on the right). “Tantalus was the last club in the group to have a court that was too small,” he says.
Mobile basketball hoops
The new court is 28 meters long and 15 meters wide. During the game, the towers holding the baskets are anchored to the floor and afterwards they can be rolled away.
The downside of this solution is that it is no longer possible to play two games simultaneously in Hall 2. The advantage is that all the teams can still play at the same location.
An alternative to the expensive basketball towers would have been to use a court off TU/e campus, something the president was reluctant to do. It could have caused a split within the association. Tantalus values game days on which all teams can cheer each other on.
UFe
University Fund Eindhoven (UFe) has decided to match Tantalus’ contribution. “We want to contribute to maintaining and improving sports facilities for TU/e students.”
“The new baskets ensure that the basketball facilities once again meet the requirements for practices, tournaments and larger games, keeping the sport accessible to a broad group of students,” says UFe staff member Touria Chraihi, explaining the board’s decision.
“Because the association was unable to find alternative sponsors, UFe helped make the investment possible.”
On November 14, Tantalus will play its first home game of the season.
This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.
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