Menu

Preston Basketball Club forms alliance with UCLan to boost community sport

Posted on - 29th September, 2021 - 12:00pm | Author - | Posted in - Education, Preston News, Recreation, Sport, UCLan
Pic: UCLan

Preston Basketball Club has joined forces with UCLan to develop the sport within the local community.

Advertisement

Preston Basketball Club (PBC) and the University of Central Lancashire formed the official partnership to realise ambitious plans for growing the sport in Preston.

Advertisements
Preston Weekender advert

The partnership will see PBC use UCLan’s Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre as its home venue, with a key aim of attracting spectators to the games.

Read more: New route announced for this weekend’s City of Preston 10k race

PBC’s senior men’s team currently plays in National Basketball League Division Three but is attempting to break into National Basketball League Division One, with the UCLan link playing an integral part.

Advertisements

Preston Basketball Club treasurer Andrew Thrower said: “Since lockdown restrictions lifted, we’ve seen a big increase in members, so this is the perfect time to take our ambitions to the next level.

“As partners, we can achieve great things together and hopefully build up a popular community following by playing at the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre in front of a crowd. Our aim is to make the club as professional as possible, and I am confident we can achieve this through our relationship with UCLan.”

Read more: Penwortham sports hub ‘a step closer to reality’ following land transfer agreement

The club will work closely with UCLan’s Men’s Basketball Club, with players from both teams able to train and play together in both the National and British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Leagues.

As part of this relationship, the teams will share coaching and facilities resources, benefitting from match analysis, fitness and conditioning, sports therapy and match media reports, all provided by UCLan students keen to gain practical, hands-on experience.

Advertisements
barton manor gym

Dr Adrian Ibbetson, Director of Sport at UCLan, said: “We’re delighted to establish this close working relationship with Preston Basketball Club, which will hopefully provide a platform for the sport to develop in the local community and boost the standard of play at the university.

“In particular, it will allow our sports scholarship programme to flourish in this more professional set-up and provide the ideal environment for the many students on sports-related courses to gain work experience and develop their skills.”

Read more: Those on healthy lifestyle course receive surprise visit from Preston North End footballer 

Preston Basketball Club’s first home game at the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre will take place on 25 September at 2.00pm in a cup-tie against St Helen’s Saints, followed by the first league game on 10 October against Tameside at 2.00pm, also at home.

Entry for spectators is free, and there is no need to book.

For more information, visit – https://www.prestonbasketball.com/

See what’s happening near you by entering your postcode below or visit InYourArea



Read moreSee the latest Preston news and headlines

Share
Advertisements
caritas fostering advert
Preston in pictures Preston Bus 207 PO56 JDX (Scania N94UB / East Lancs Esteem)24.03.24 - Penwortham [Church of St Mary] 240323JPGDSC_7658 - Bus stationDSC_7676 - Miller ArcadeDSC_7681 - former Post Office, cenotaph and Town HallDSC_7682 - Central Methodist church, Lune StreetDSC_7668 - Fish (aka Box) MarketDSC_7672 - Miller Arcade View more Advertisement Subscribe to the newsletter

Sign up below to receive Blog Preston's email newsletter. It wings its way into inboxes every Sunday and Wednesday rounding up our top stories and more.

Advertisement News by location

Find news by location, select an area of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

The Preston Guide

Discover local businesses and services near you.

    Advertisements
Advertisement Categories

Find news by category, select an category of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

Blog Preston email updates

Receive our digest of the biggest and best stories every Sunday to your email inbox

We respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time from our emails