On the Court
GB Women had a positive campaign, qualifying for 2019 EuroBasket. For the female youth teams, 2018 was about consolidating their position and looking to build again next year.
GB Men couldn’t progress from their pre-qualification group and so move into the 3rd round of Pre-Qualifying for EuroBasket 2021 in August, whilst the U20 and U18 Men have maintained their Division A status for 2019.
In Wheelchair Basketball, both the Senior Men and Senior Women had fantastic results in the World Championships with the men winning gold and the women taking silver. Congratulations to all involved.
Off the Court – BBF
Off court, it has continued to be a challenging time for the British Basketball Federation.
A lack of funding led to significant changes at Board and staffing levels, with the Federation now having no permanent staff in order to reduce costs. This has placed an additional requirement on the Home Countries to supply key resources at important parts of the season. As such, basketballscotland has assisted the event organisation of the GB Men Home Game against Cyprus and supported the planning for the Youth Team programmes in summer 2019.
This has been positive as it has provided development opportunities afforded for our staff and allowed greater engagement with the GB programmes, which should lead to increased opportunities for Scottish athletes.
As we move into 2019-20 financial year, discussions are ongoing between the BBF and the three Home Countries about creating a long-term sustainable future for the British Basketball Federation.
