The oldest basketball court in the world is in Paris

The place, still in operation, is located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. They’ve been playing basketball here for 128 years.

At 14, rue de Trévise, in the 9th arrondissement of the capital, in the building that houses the facilities of the YMCA of Paris, also known as the Christian Union of Young People of Paris, is a piece of heritage basketball. The oldest field of this sport created by a Canadian PE teacher in the United States in 1891 is not across the Atlantic, but in the heart of the French capital.

From its invention, in a YMCA, an acronym for Young Men’s Christian Association in Springfield near Boston, basketball became popular in American universities and quickly arrived in Europe. In 1893, the sport invented by Dr. James Naismith made its arrival in France in the gymnasium of the UCJG in Paris, also known. Thus, it was in this building that the first basketball game in French history took place. This opposed the young members of the UCJG.

For 128 years, the place has retained its appearance of yesteryear, assured those responsible for the place to France 3 Paris-Île-de-France, “The building has remained in its original condition” assures Christelle Bertho, architect and specialist of the place. The teams in charge have been offering an opening to the public since 2014 on the occasion of the European Heritage Days. The parquet floor is the original one, the baskets are hung on the balconies at 3m05 in height , which remains the regulation height even today. In the middle of the court there are also two columns worn by time. These installations, which recall the environment of a school gymnasium, are a witness to the beginnings of basketball in as a school sport.

If Paris can boast of being home to the oldest basketball court in the world, it is above all because the YMCA building in which the court used for the first game in the history of basketball was located went up in flames. It was in Springfield, Massachusetts that James Naismith, then a PE teacher, had the idea of ​​creating an indoor sport that allowed his students to stay in good physical condition during the freezing northern winters. -eastern United States. He then hung two baskets high at either end of the gymnasium and ordered his players to throw a soccer ball inside.

Also, the link between the land located rue de Trévise and the birthplace of the orange ball can be established in that the YMCA Paris belongs to the network of YMCAs (Young Men’s Christian Association) developed in the United States at the end of the 19th century. century. These are complexes for young Americans offering physical, cultural and intellectual activities while advocating Protestant values. “The entire building is modeled on those erected by American YMCAs“, specifies the architect, building specialist at 14 Rue de Trévise, Christelle Bertho.

The specialist also explains that the physical education teacher who introduced basketball to the Paris YMCA, Melvin Rideout, trained with James Naismith in Springfield. The architect in charge of the construction of the building, Emile Besnard was also sent to the United States to study the models of YMCAs across the Atlantic.

Thus, the Parisian place retains an important historical significance for basketball fans and lovers of sports history. A reputation of which the managers of the place take great pride and which they intend to preserve through a renovation project. Basketball lovers will be able to visit the premises as part of the European Heritage Days on September 18 and 19.