England Basketball

Summer is here and, with the Olympic Torch on its journey, London 2012 draws ever closer.

As part of our legacy efforts, England Basketball is pleased to invite applications for funding from affiliated organisations wishing to run participation programmes indoors and / or outdoors over the coming months. As well as offering existing players the chance to play throughout the year, we aim to be ready to welcome any new participants spurred into action during or following the Olympics.

Ball Again

Any affiliated organisation keen to sustain and increase regular, weekly participation amongst adults can apply for funding to start up to three new Ball Again sessions. Applicants able to demonstrate success in attracting new participants to the sport will also benefit from the brand new 'Ball Again' incentive fund.

Full details can be found by visiting www.ballagain.co.uk and clicking on "Eligible for funding?".

IM Basketball

For those affiliated organisations targeting a younger age group (13-19), funding to run weekly leagues of 3on3, 4on4 or 5on5 IM Basketball is available.

Any affiliated organisation can apply for funding to run IM Basketball Summer. In addition, those organisations able to demonstrate success in attracting new participants to the sport are eligible to receive a Participation Bonus.

Full details can be found by visiting www.imbasketball.co.uk.

England Basketball Competition

Win the VIP treatment for GB v USA!

Exclusive Competition for England Basketball Members.

We are offering England Basketball members a chance to enter the ultimate competition to attend this summer's pre-Olympic Men's game between Great Britain and the USA at Manchester's Evening News Arena!

Not only can you win two arena floor platform seats for a clear, unobstructed view of the game on 19 July, but this exclusive VIP package also includes:

• Post-game reception and supper including Manchester and US-themed meal options, red and white wine, beer and soft drinks
• Exclusive Legend, Player/Team meet-and greet experience at post match reception.
• Dedicated Parking at NCP Arena Car Park.
• Event programme.
• Event/Team merchandise.
• And a Commemorative framed photo.

To enter this competition, simply email the following items to competitions@englandbasketball.co.uk by Monday 11 June at 12 noon:

1) Name
2) England Basketball Membership number
3) Mobile number
4) And your answer to the following question: "Who are the reigning Men's Olympic Basketball Champions from the Beijing 2008 Games?"

The winner will be drawn randomly on Monday 11 June after the deadline and contacted on the same day. Enter today for your chance at this exclusive England Basketball Member package.

Terms and conditions:

• Open to England Basketball members only (membership number must be provided)
• Winners under 18 must be accompanied by someone 18 years or older
• One entry per member
• The draw will be made randomly on Monday 11 June. All decisions are final and winners will be notified as soon as possible

South West Basketball Conference

The above conference will be held on Sunday 24th June (10:00 - 16:30) at Paignton Community & Sports College Sports Hub, Waterleat Road, Paignton. TQ3 3WA.

It is for teachers, table officials, referees and coaches; and VOLUNTEERS such as Club Secretaries and Team Managers.

There will be practical sessions, lectures and discussions led by experienced contributors on the games latest developments to inspire you for next season!

This is also for any aspiring coaches, table officials or referees. This is suitable for those involved with youth, local league and regional level teams. There will be the opportunity to observe regional youth teams in training.

All this costs just £15 if paid in advance, or £20 if paid on the day. Both prices include lunch.

For an application form, click here.

If you have any queries, then please contact Geoff Steer

Best in the West

The second 'Best in the West' basketball tournament takes place over the weekend of 9th / 10th June in Exeter.

The Warriors will be representing the GBBA, and will be competing against the Exeter Nomads, Lockleaze Renegades, Wadebridge Storm and the Bridgwater Bucs.

The Warriors matches take place at 12:30 and 16:00 on both days.

For a complete running schedule, download this MS-Excel file.

Under 18 Players

All,

At Team Gloster, we will be participating in the National League for Senior Men, Division 4 again this year. We always welcome players who are genuinely keen and able to play at this level.

We have just decided to enter an Under 18 Men's team (school years 12 & 13) and we would be interested in recruiting a few more players into this squad, as our most experienced U18 players will be in the Senior Men's team.

I realise that local clubs often have a small number of junior players in their teams, and that some of these might be interested in playing.

If you have anyone who might be interested, please bring this to their attention. You could then either give me their name and email address, or ask them to contact me.

The training commitment would be once weekly (Thursday evenings in Cirencester) and almost all games are on Saturdays. It would therefore be possible to maintain a local league commitment alongside this.

We are of course also running teams for U14 and U16 boys and girls and also welcome new members for these.

Thanks for your help in circulating this information.

Best regards

Paul Christensen
Office +44 1452 611320
Mobile +44 777 220 550 1

Level II Referees Course

Applications are invited from those who would like to take the Level 2 Referees Award of England Basketball. Details are as follows;

Day 1
Saturday 16th June 2012, 09.30-17.00.
St Augustine’s Catholic College, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 9EN

Day 2
Sunday 17th June 2012, 09.30-17.00
Wycliffe College, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, GL10 2JQ

Cost £65.00

The Level 2 Award is for candidates who wish to officiate in local senior club games or good standard junior/school matches. They should have some prior knowledge of the rules of basketball or have already gained the Level 1 award.

Candidates who are successful on the course and who pass the theory examination will be invited to complete the course requirements by refereeing three full length games with a Level 3 official and will be mentored by an appointed GBBA referee.

To apply for the course, please visit click on the COURSES link of this website to download the application form. Closing date for applications is Friday 8th June 2012. Joining details will be sent to all those who apply.

Annual General Meeting

Dear Colleagues

This is a notice that the Annual General Meeting will be held at Tewkesbury Rugby Football Club, Lankett Lane, GL20 5PG on Monday 28 May at 7:15 p.m.

Refreshments will be provided as usual, and the bar will be available.

Teams in current membership of the league, committee members, and guests invited by the Chair may attend. Should a vote be required on any matter, each team (except any who have outstanding debts) and each committee member shall be permitted one vote.

Teams who do not send a representative are subject to an automatic fine of £25.

Any proposals for changes to the League Constitution and Rules, along with any items for the agenda should be sent to me by Sunday 20 May.

Regards

Paul Christensen

Chair

Proposal for Youth Development League

Dear all,

Could you please let me know (by Tuesday 15 May), if there is any potential interest in such a league/competition? This would not be a commitment at this stage.

If there is sufficient interest, we could negotiate the details later.

The basic aim would be to cater for players not of the standard/commitment for EBL, but who would benefit from some kind of junior competition rather than the senior GBL.

The rest would be decided on the best fit for the majority:

• Age group?
• Format (central venue, home and away, mini tournaments?)
• Frequency of games/tournaments

Please forward this to anyone else you think might be interested, and let me know if you would be interested in further discussion of this.

Best regards

Paul Christensen

Office +44 1452 611320
Mobile +44 777 220 550 1

South West Basketball

Could I please bring a few items to your attention regarding age group basketball in the South West?

SOUTH WEST REGIONAL LEAGUES

This past season, we ran leagues for U14 boys and (non-national league) U15/U16 boys, based on 3-4 team tournaments, with each team playing on 6-8 dates, and staging two tournaments.

The original aim was to cater for teams who could not commit to the weekly schedule of national leagues.

As the deadline for national league entries is only 4 weeks away, could you please let me know if you are intending to enter the EB competition, or whether you would enter a similar regional league in the coming season.

I have had a further proposal of the regional league(s) being based upon central (minimum double court) venues around the region, with an initial entry fee which would cover the costs of venue hire. If the regional league would interest you, please let me know your views on this format.

Whilst we were unable to get sufficient support for girls leagues last year, we would certainly be keen to hear from anyone who might have a girls team.

CANDIDATES FOR REGIONAL TEAMS

As most of you will be aware, we have now begun the summer programmes for the Regional Development Teams for boys and girls at U13 (born 1999-2000), U15 (1997-98) and U17 (1995-96).

Initial training squads have been selected following try outs for which club and school coaches were able to nominate suitable players. It is still possible to recommend OUTSTANDING candidates where there was a particular reason why they could not be seen at the first stage (e.g. moved into the area, very young player new to the game, big improvement after a couple of months). Please contact me in the first instance. Please remember that only players eligible to play for England (holding a British passport) are able to represent regional teams.

There is no longer an "open trial" situation, or the opportunity to just show up at a training day to try out.

Naturally, it helps the coaches to see all prospective squad members at the start (not least to judge numbers for selection) and they cannot be distracted from their main job of developing players and preparing the team by the continuous arrival of more players who may not be up to the same standard, and will have missed some of the instruction.

However, please do not let this stop you from recommending players who are likely to make a significant contribution at regional level.

BOYS BORN 1998

This is currently the smallest regional group (16 players at present). We feel certain that there must be players out there with talent, of whom we are unaware. Looking at the current profile of the group, we are particularly keen to identify players who are big/tall/long and/or who are explosive athletes. Raw skills are not necessarily a barrier, but we are seeking potential "warriors"! As this group does not have a Regional Development Tournament this year, we have more time to look at potential long-term talent. Please contact me to discuss any player you feel might fit the bill.

Finally, the Regional Management Committee's brief is to cater for those areas which cannot reasonably dealt with at local level. Regional teams and Level 3 coach/official education are obvious examples. However, there's probably a lot more we could do. Please contact me or your local RMC representative if you have any proposals.



Best regards

Paul Christensen

Office +44 1452 611320
Mobile +44 777 220 550 1

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