A MUSICIAN is urging the council to act quickly and renovate a seafront basketball court.

Gerrald Emeagwali, also known as MagicOfficialTMC, says the site in Brighton is a major asset for the city but has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.

The 30-year-old said: “People come down to the city and what catches their eye? Not the i360 or the pier, it’s the basketball court. All the people, the music, the vibe there.

“How many basketball courts do you know in the world which have that sort of vibe with the beach behind it? So when you see it has cracks in the floor and basketball rims which need changing while Brighton is looking beautiful behind it, you wonder what’s going on.”

The Argus:

He continued: “(I love) just sitting, listening to the sound of the bouncing ball around the court, feeling the wind, enjoying the sun with the sea behind me or just plain old playing the sport I love, so it makes me feel sad to see the state it’s in currently.”

He said there were several things which needed improving at the site including floodlights which are in need of an update and backboards which “will hurt someone soon” if not replaced.

Magic said: “Whenever I go for a dunk I feel like I don’t want to do it. They feel like they are going to give way.

“The rings are not even, one is slanted, and there are a lot of cracks in the floor. It’s dangerous, people could be injured.”

The Argus:

He started a petition to renovate the basketball courts immediately, and his Change.org campaign has been signed more than 330 times. Several of those supporting the project are part of The Mustard Collection, a group of Sussex musicians, producers, DJs and more started by Magic.

He founded the group to allow people to share their talent, as well as “bring about change in the community”.

He said: “I started this on my own and now I have all of these people behind me. And the longer they (the council) ignore the campaign, the more these numbers will grow.”

The Argus:

Brighton and Hove City Council has responded to the calls to renovate the basketball court.

A council spokesman said: “We’re developing a plan to improve the condition of the court, but don’t want to start any works that would mean closing the court during the busy summer. Any work required would be scheduled for the autumn when the use of the court is quieter. We don’t know of any campaign about the basketball court and haven’t been contacted by anyone regarding this.”