Special Olympics Great Britain (GB) has partnered with national governing bodies Basketball England and Basketball Wales to launch a new development plan aimed at creating more opportunities and pathways for people with intellectual disabilities to shine in basketball.
Launched today as part of Special Olympics European Basketball Week, the Basketball Development Plan has been created in collaboration with coaches and Special Olympics GB’s National Sports Advisors. The plan focuses on three key areas:
Strengthening relationships between clubs
Building stronger links between Special Olympics GB, Basketball England and Basketball Wales clubs, aligning systems, standards and development processes.
Creating a four-year competition pathway
Introducing an accessible pathway featuring entry-level ‘come and try’ events, with opportunities to progress to regional and national competitions and the Special Olympics World Games. An annual divisional tournament will sit at the heart of the pathway, building on the success of the DOSportUK x Special Olympics GB Basketball Series, sponsored by UPS.
Enhancing coaching standards
Expanding opportunities for volunteers to complete Level 2 Community and Club Coach Awards, with financial support available through the Toyota Coaching Fund.
Basketball is thriving within the Special Olympics GB network. Along with football, it’s our most popular team sport, with 286 athletes taking part across 17 clubs.
“The competition pathway created through the Basketball Series with DOSportUK and UPS is the only programme of its kind for people with intellectual disabilities, giving us a fantastic platform to grow from. This year alone, four competitions have been staged around the country.
“We’re very excited to work closely with Basketball England and Basketball Wales on this initial development plan and look forward to building even more opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities in the months ahead.”
Dr. Adi Fawcett, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Basketball England, said: "We are delighted to hear that basketball is a priority sport for Special Olympics GB. Together, we will be working closely to create more opportunities for people with learning disabilities to play basketball and help the organisation with the implementation of its development plan.”
Basketball is the third sport to receive a Special Olympics GB development plan, as the charity looks to accelerate growth in its Tier 1 sports (those with the highest participation numbers). Further development plans are due to be released in the coming months.