Young people to benefit from basketball funding boost

Thousands more young people will get the chance to take up basketball thanks to a new programme run by the British Basketball League Foundation and funded by Sport England.

Teenagers aged between 16 and 19 will be offered a range of three on three basketball activities organised by franchised clubs in Newcastle, Chester, Leicester, Guildford and Worcester, with support from the foundation.

With £200,700 of investment, the foundation will test which settings and formats are most popular among young men and women. The teenagers will be offered a mix of basketball sessions including: indoor and outdoor; mixed and single sex; self-organised and coach-led; and turn-up and play and competitive options.

Sport England’s Director of Sport, Phil Smith, said: “This investment will open up more opportunities for young people to get involved in this great sport and build on the momentum created by the inspiring summer of Olympic and Paralympic sport.

“We know many young people are interested in playing basketball and this partnership will help us understand more about the best ways to turn interest into participation and then keep them coming back week after week.”

Research shows good potential to get more young people playing basketball regularly. More than 50,000 16- to 19-year-olds are playing at least once a month, but less than once a week, while more than 150,000 adults in England say basketball is a sport they’d be interested in taking up.

British Basketball League Foundation Chairman, Stephen Moseley, MP said: “We are absolutely delighted with this recognition of the capability of the BBL Foundation and its clubs, by Sport England. We believe this provides the Foundation with an outstanding opportunity to really make a difference to understanding what young people want from their sport, and look forward to working with our clubs in delivering this highly innovative project.”