A weekly basketball session has been launched this week at St Aidan’s CE High School.
This is following on from delivering basketball to over 400 girls in Harrogate during the summer term and forming a long term partnership between St Aidan’s CE High School, Leeds Force Basketball and North Yorkshire Sport. They are aiming to provide the opportunity for all girls to give basketball a try in the school or the community.
Dawn Buxton, St Aidan’s CE High School Teacher and Girls Basketball Coach, commented: This is a fantastic opportunity for girls in the Harrogate area to try basketball.
I have played basketball for over 30 years and love the sport. I really appreciate the commitment and time from Leeds Force in enabling this to happen.
Coach Mark Gunn, Leeds Force Basketball Club & Community Development Manager and Leeds Beckett University WBBL Head Coach commented: It’s great to have launched a girls’ basketball club in Harrogate following over 12 months of preparation as part of Leeds Force Basketball Outreach Project as supported by St Aidan’s CE High School and North Yorkshire Sport.
Initially we are trying to simply increase awareness of basketball as well as give girls the opportunity to try a new sport leading towards provide a stepping stone to the Basketball England performance pathway (Junior National League and Regional Development Programme), senior environment (Harrogate Raiders Ladies) as well as a destination for participants who would be happy to continue in the open session indefinitely.
By the end of the first year we hope to have established an U14 Girls and U18 Women’s team who will compete in central venue leagues and friendly fixtures.
The session runs weekly during term time at St Aidan’s CE High School (entrance via the school’s main reception) on Tuesdays, 4:50pm – 6pm and players of all abilities are welcome.
£3 per session and each session will be led by Coach Mark Gunn plus assisted by Women’s 1st Team players from Leeds Beckett University who compete in the Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL), the highest level for female basketball in the UK
For further details please contact Mark Gunn on 07825 010354 or at m.gunn@leedsforce.co.uk
