Phoenix College partnership with Basketball Ballarat and new gym about more than sport

It's a symbol of bringing the community together, connection, sport and economic benefit to the wider Ballarat community.

The new gym was officially opened on Thursday with members of the school's Academy of Sport showing their skills and training moves to visitors including education minister Natalie Hutchins.

It means the school now has four competition-grade basketball/netball courts which they use during school hours, and which Basketball Ballarat use after hours and on weekends for training and competition.

And it has created jobs for Phoenix students who are employed as venue supervisors.

Phoenix P-12 Community College principal Karen Snibson said the initial partnership with Basketball Ballarat was formed well before the idea for the building.

"At the heart of that partnership was a belief that if we work together we can change the outcome for our students, for our community and broader Ballarat," she said.

"At that stage it was nothing to do with a building, just joining up goodwill and an absolute belief that a student who comes from Delacombe, Redan or Sebastopol ... has a right to be anything they dream and if we work together we can enable that to happen."

Basketball Ballarat chief executive Neville Ivey said using the facility from 4pm to 9.30pm most weeknights, and weekends, meant more teams could take part in domestic competition, and allow for more junior come and try-type programs such as Aussie Hoops.

"We've got over 600 teams now in basketball in domestic competition. What this facility enables us to do is bring it to residents who live on this side of town, particularly some of the junior programs, and it's great for clubs to use for training as well," he said.

"We've got our new (Selkirk) stadium but we are still running out of courts."

Mr Ivey said the annual King's Birthday Weekend basketball tournament, which attracts more than 5000 junior basketballers and their families to Ballarat from across the state, would be able to admit more entries.

Each year the tournament is worth an estimated $4.9 million to the Ballarat economy with accommodation and hospitality venues often fully booked and other attractions seeing big increases in visitation.

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Mr Ivey said employing Phoenix student as venue supervisors gave them an even greater sense of ownership over the venue, and connection to it.

"We have been actively recruiting Phoenix students to actually operate the venue after hours," he said. "The great thing about that is they take real ownership ... they are very conscious of the way it's presented, they open it up, make sure it's clean, organised, that the rings are down and everything is in place.

"A facility like this is not just about sporting kids, it's about having a whole lot of activity here and allowing kids to feel part of the broader community."

Ms Hutchins said the venue would be an asset for decades to come.

"I know this gym has been designed with a partnership in mind with the broader community but I know for every single (student) this will bring so much joy and connection to be able to not only train here but feel part of the broader community."

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