Community Basketball Event Brings Together over 70 Young People at Cardiff Met Arena
A fantastic evening of basketball saw over 70 young people come together at Cardiff Metropolitan University for the latest community basketball event, highlighting the continued growth of the sport across the Welsh capital.
The event was the fourth in a series delivered by Basketball Wales in partnership with the Cardiff Met Community Inclusion Team, providing young people with the opportunity to enjoy basketball in a welcoming, inclusive and competitive environment.
Designed to remove barriers to participation, the sessions continue to create opportunities for young people of all backgrounds and abilities to get involved in basketball, develop new skills and build confidence through sport.
The success of the event was made possible through the support of a number of organisations. Cardiff Youth Service helped promote the event and attended on the evening to celebrate the achievements of the young people taking part.
Coaches from Cardiff Archers Basketball Club delivered an engaging warm-up session before assisting with the officiating of games throughout the evening, while newly qualified referees from the Cardiff Youth Service Seniors programme gained valuable experience by putting their officiating skills into practice in a live game environment.
Basketball Wales would also like to thank Fran Talks Sports for helping to raise awareness of the event and continuing to champion the basketball community across Cardiff.
The evening concluded with presentations from local councillors Bernie Bowen-Thomson (Trowbridge) and Helen Gunter (Butetown), who attended to support the event and present awards to players in recognition of their efforts and performances.
Supporting Basketball Opportunities Across Cardiff
Basketball Wales Participation and Inclusion Officer Sam Gilbert praised the continued success of the programme and the strength of the partnerships that have helped it grow.
“Today’s event at Cardiff Met has been a fantastic celebration of inclusive basketball. The partnerships we’ve built between Cardiff Met Community, Cardiff Youth Service and Basketball Wales are creating meaningful opportunities for young people across Cardiff to get involved in basketball in a fun, welcoming environment.
“As well as increasing participation, this partnership is helping us develop the next generation of officials. It’s been brilliant to see newly qualified young referees gaining valuable experience at these events before progressing to officiating in local leagues across South Wales. Together, we’re creating more opportunities for young people both on and off the court.”
With participation continuing to grow at each event, the programme is proving to be a fantastic way of engaging more young people in basketball while strengthening links between local communities, clubs and partner organisations.
Basketball Wales would like to thank everyone involved in making another memorable event possible and looks forward to welcoming even more young people to future community basketball sessions.
