The London Coaches Program has been one of the highest profile external investments into British basketball in recent years, and is now open for its third cohort.
Launched in March 2023 in central London with the Allen Iverson and the Mayor of London on hand, the £1.1million investment (£500,000 from City Hall, and £600,000 from the NBA) aims to train 500 new community coaches aged 16-30, through until 2025 (sign up here!).
And perhaps most impressively, it’s completely free for those selected to take part.
“We’re not just teaching X’s and O’s out there,” says Baskeball England’s Camila Freitas, who’s coordinating the the project. “Our goal is to create coaching opportunities and pathways to potential jobs down the line.”
Beyond just on court skills, the 12-month curriculum loads coaches up with a well-rounded mix of qualifications outside of the Basketball England community coach qualification – first aid, safeguarding, and mental health training, along with mentoring, hands on clinics and access to unique opportunities.
“The networking has been invaluable,” raves Lucy Martinez Sabri from the second cohort. “I’m pumped for the new connections and can already feel myself leveling up as a coach.”
Mishak Marfo from the inaugural group echoes that sentiment:
“It’s an amazing way to surround yourself with basketball and learn from so many knowledgeable mentors.”
But perhaps Rovel Yakobe, also cohort 1, sums it up best:
“The program boosted my confidence through the roof. I’m building bonds that will last a lifetime while getting unreal opportunities from the NBA and BE.”
The program is also targeting under-served communities, aiming to create that crucial local coaching network to develop the next generation of players aged 8-14.
The program has gone through iterations and improvements in each stage, with increasing CPD opportunities in the upcoming cohort.
Applications are open now through May 31st for the third cohort, set to tip off this July – sign up now!
*Note: This is a sponsored advertorial from Basketball England
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