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smart basketball field in Ljubljana, Source: The first smart basketball field in Ljubljana. Photo by ljubljana.si

Smart playground to be set up in the City of Maribor

Smart playground to be set up in the City of Maribor

The development of love for sports funded by a Slovenian foundation

The City of Maribor in Slovenia has signed a letter of intent with the Goran Dragić Foundation to develop a smart playground project. It will be the first of its kind in eastern Slovenia.

After the successful completion of this project, there are plans to build a smart basketball court, too. Such a playground already exists in Ljubljana, again thanks to the same foundation.

The project has several main goals, including:

  • Setting up places for children to enjoy playing on;
  • involving the general public and the network of schools, municipalities and the media to promote projects of this type;
  • raising awareness of opportunities for sports and communication among adolescents.

Involvement and investment

However, the project is not just about involving young people in sports through playgrounds and courts. Maribor Municipality also announced that it will invest in young people with outstanding sports, science or art skills.

They will be sent abroad (Miami) to gain knowledge, broaden their horizons and improve skills which will then be successfully applied at home.

Young people can apply for travel scholarships to Miami. They must provide evidence of excellence and a special committee will determine which talents will be given the opportunity to travel.

The cost of transportation and accommodation is covered by donors with support from the US Embassy in Slovenia and the Slovenian-American Business Association. They also facilitated and made possible a meeting with the mayor of Miami, a visit to the local university, as well as meetings with entrepreneurs and business representatives.

The foundation, established by the world-renowned Slovenian basketball player Goran Dragic, supports the construction of such facilities. Through this and other ways, they keep the interest of young people in sports. The investment also includes tickets to attend matches of well-known teams to further deepen that interest, which can then eventually grow into a full-fledged career.

The idea of providing this kind of facilities and opportunities for young people is a great example of how young people should be encouraged to play sports, develop their talents in every field and how the ambition to be better today than you were yesterday can give us a chance to meet people and to learn something new.

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