Under 16's Basketball Talent

England U16 Boys To Face Ireland at BBL Event

Tuesday, 11-Mar-2008

In an exciting addition to the line-up at the BBL Finals Weekend, taking place at the National Indoor Arena on Saturday 3 / Sunday 4 May, the BBL, in partnership with England Basketball and Birmingham City Council, has announced that the England U16 Boys' National Team will face their Irish counterparts as part of the impressive schedule at the event.

The Finals Weekend is the showpiece event of the British basketball season and sees the semi-finals and the final of the BBL Championship Playoffs contested over one action-packed weekend.

The junior international will take place on the Saturday at 1.00pm and will be the curtain-raiser for the weekend. The game will be an integral part of the team's build-up to the FIBA Europe U16 Boys European Championship B Division, which sees England travel to Sarajevo, Bosnia, starting on August 15th. In the group stage of that tournament England will find themselves up against Slovenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania, and Switzerland. Ireland also compete in the European B Division, and could be potential opponents for the English team in the later stages of the competition.

England U16 Head Coach, Simon Fisher, made the following comments,

"The England Cadet Team are continuing to build towards this year's European 'B' Championships and looking to build on the excellent 4th place finish last year.

"The opportunity for the players to experience playing in a big arena will be invaluable in preparation for the venues at the Europeans.

"As I grew up in Birmingham, represented Birmingham Schools, and played for the Birmingham Bullets' Junior programmes, it is an honour to be the Head Coach of an England team for an international at the NIA.

"I have a family history with basketball in Birmingham, and for me it will be emotional, but the exciting part is that I was inspired watching junior international basketball, and I just hope that the game against Ireland will inspire others to want to play and achieve in this fantastic sport, as a player, coach, official or volunteer."

Andy Webb, the BBL's Chief Operations Officer, added,

"The BBL is delighted to be staging this game at what promises to be a huge event for British basketball.

"As Britain's top professional league, we believe that the BBL has an integral part to play in basketball development and the presentation of a pathway for aspiring young players - in fact, many current BBL players have come through this system such as Richard Midgley, Olu Babalola, and Michael Gayle. Showcasing the elite level of junior basketball, and assisting the England team in their preparations for the Summer, is an important part of that.

"The Finals Weekend is an event that we all look forward to each season, and this fixture is an excellent addition to the exciting mixture of vital games and entertainment that make this event unmissable for UK sport fans."

Tickets for the BBL Finals Weekend are available from £18 for adults and £11 for children (daily rate) or £25 for adults and £18 for children (weekend rate). Tickets can be purchased online at www.theticketfactory.com or by calling 0870 909 4144. For further information on the event, and the latest progress of the BBL Championship competition, visit www.bbl.org.uk