Basketball Northern Ireland (BNI) is excited to welcome Basketball Wales, Under 15 Boys, to Belfast for a 3 Game Series as both countries reignite their performance pathway!
This is exciting opportunity to welcome the Welsh Basketball U15 squad back to our shores since before the pandemic. BNI and Basketball Wales have had a long-standing history of performance development at under age level and it has been a key focus coming out of the pandemic for both NGB’s to get back to the great work in developing the sport of basketball at international level.
The series of games will be played across 3 days on the 18th, 19th and 20th of August based at Ulster University Sports Centre and La Salle Sports Complex, Belfast.
“This has been an important strategic aim of Basketball NI in bringing back our under-age pathway for Team NI. Building on the foundations of previous programmes, we wanted to create a sustainable performance environment that will help develop elite players of all ages within our sport both in 5×5 and 3×3. The board of BNI have been working closely with Sport NI and Basketball Ireland to align our pathways to help develop our sport here in the North so that the Performance Pathway feeds into an all island strategy.” Says, BNI, Vice Chair, Marc Mulholland, he continues,
“We have had a great relationship with Basketball Wales and this felt like a great opportunity to reignite our series of games which historically always brought great basketball and excitement to the local and travelling fans in our basketball community. We hope to have great support of our selected panel come game time in August and we look forward to growing this model across both boys and girls age groups and eventually Men’s and Women’s competition.”
Basketball Wales have been working to grow their performance pathway and felt a trip across the Irish Sea for was too good and opportunity to miss.
“Huge credit to Marc and his team for making this happen,” said Phil Gordos, Basketball Wales Performance Director. “We believe international competition is hugely important to our future, so we’re delighted and hugely excited to be making the trip. It will provide our players and coaches with a further opportunity to grow and develop. We hope we can organise regular fixtures against Northern Ireland at all age groups and we are already in discussions about making that happen.”
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