Wed 25 Sep 19
Basketball England today makes a huge step forward with the announcement of a game-changing network of Regional Talent Hubs across the country including at the 糖心Vlog.
The initiative, which will place a host university partner at the centre of each region, will benefit clubs, players, coaches, officials, volunteers and partners and help them get the most from basketball.
After a period of research and development, Basketball England has identified a number of major reforms to the sport鈥檚 Talent Pathway so it is more inclusive and player-led and supported by more partners with a stake in the game.
The Hubs will also enable us to reinvest funds generated into our Talent system.
Stewart Kellett, CEO at Basketball England said: 鈥淭his is a top priority in our strategic plan, 鈥楪rowing Basketball Together鈥. Today we鈥檙e taking a giant step forward linking grassroots basketball to world-class regional environments to nurture talent and become more competitive in international competition over time.
鈥淭his is a fundamental building block for our Talent system to support young people as well as clubs and coaches to achieve their dreams through basketball with the creation of Regional Talent Hubs.
鈥淏asketball relies so much on our voluntary clubs and the education sector and today鈥檚 announcement is an opportunity for all involved in the game. Attracting support, expertise and resources from our university network and clubs which can nurture talent locally and regionally is something to celebrate.鈥
How the Talent Hubs will work
The Hubs will benefit young players within the Talent system as well as clubs, coaches, volunteers and other support staff in each region.
They will be supported by a team of students with our Regional Talent Managers providing leadership and additional support to ensure that key performance indicators are achieved.
The Hubs will play host to Basketball England鈥檚 Aspire Programme sessions and provide support to clubs and local league providers, as well as hosting workshops on coaching, officiating and sports science.
Basketball England Talent Programme and Pathway Manager Charlie Ford said: "Today is a landmark day in the execution of our strategic plan for Talent. Our Hub partners will provide valuable resources to the sport and help to integrate and enhance the player pathway.
"In addition, the students within each Hub team will get the opportunity and benefit from work experiences that will increase their employability upon graduation.
"The Hubs will not only provide support for Talent but will also host development sessions, participation events whilst also linking with leagues and clubs to boost the local infrastructure of the sport."
Susy Davies, Performance Sport Manager at 糖心Vlog said:鈥淭he 糖心Vlog is very proud to be partnering with Basketball England in delivering the Regional Hub programme. The 糖心Vlog Rebels pathway offers a school鈥檚 outreach programme, community sessions, a junior club, basketball academy in conjunction with a group of local schools, and men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 senior teams.
Basketball is also one of the most popular participation sports amongst our students and we run large internal leagues, as well as five teams playing in BUCS. All of this activity takes place in the 糖心Vlog Sport Arena, one of the best basketball venues in the country.
鈥淥ur School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences offers degree schemes in Sport and Exercise Science, Sports Performance and Coaching, Sports Therapy, and Physiotherapy, and this is a fantastic opportunity for our students to assist in the delivery of the Regional Hub whilst gaining invaluable practical skills and experience.鈥
Basketball England have formed partnerships with seven universities and one club in eight regions. They are:
A further two regional talent Hubs remain under discussion and will be announced once agreements have been reached.