Basketball

Basketball is a fun and intensely active game and is one of two new sports that the Foundation added to its portfolio in 2009. 

Its free flowing rules make for a fast paced game where being able to complete fundamental skills quickly and correctly is essential to becoming a good player. 

To develop the sport in the region we need to get more people involved at grass roots level. That’s why we’re working with the Newcastle Eagles Community Foundation, Hartlepool Heat Basketball Club and other clubs across the North East.  We aim to increase the number of young people playing basketball by introducing a coaching and official recruitment programme where new volunteers will be invited to help run and organise main events.

We work closely with England Basketball which is dedicated to supporting coaches, tutors and assessors, and to providing opportunities for everyone wanting to play, coach, and develop basketball in England.

Newcastle Eagles have achieved phenomenal success with a 1000% increase in members over a short period of time but now need to recruit more adults to take on the role of coaches to help support the infrastructure and allow the sport to grow further and develop junior leagues within the area.  Newcastle Eagles and the Tony Blair Sports Foundation have a joint vision to make basketball more accessible at grass roots level and one Eagles coach and Foundation member Anthony Sampson sees the benefits of this partnership every day:

"The Tony Blair Sports Foundation has helped us by getting some of our volunteers through their coaching certificates.  More coaches means more sessions which is what we need.  The sessions which we hold at the club are extremely popular with the kids in our area, from 6 to 16, boys and girls, and if we weren't here most of these kids wouldn't have a chance to play basketball in such a professional environment."