As the 2018/19 season winds down, the club has begun preparations for the coming season, and getting more adults around West Suffolk playing regular basketball is a clear priority at the club.
"The 'Get Back Into Basketball' sessions have been really well supported" said Head Coach Arron MacDonald.
"What we've found though is that lots of the players involved want different things from the session, and it's difficult to cram as much basketball as we'd like into an hour and a half. We've also had feedback from people who can only attend infrequently, owing to the time slot we were booked into, and people frustrated that sessions weren't happening on Bank Holiday Mondays... so we thought it would be a good idea to have a look at a longer session on another week night."
What it means for the 'Get Back Into Basketball' session is a move to Thurston Sports Centre, on Tuesday nights. With a two-hour timeslot starting at 8:00pm. This Monday's session (20th May) will be the last at Skyliner, before the sessions start up again on Tuesday 26th June.
Additionally, the club have noted a number of the players involved in the session were looking to join a team and play regularly, so have also announced that they will be starting "Open Runs" every Thursday night at County Upper School, starting in August - to coincide with the Senior Local League side's pre-season.
"The 'Open Run' sessions allow us to bridge the gap between getting back into basketball and playing regularly for a club side in the local league." said Coach MacDonald. "These sessions will allow players looking for a bit more basketball to compete alongside our Local League Senior players and help them to establish when they're ready to move up to that level."
Additionally, the Bulldogs continue to seek Senior Women in West Suffolk who are interested in playing regular basketball.
Having seen a growing number of females attending the mixed 'Get Back Into' sessions, Coach MacDonald is optimistic of being able to offer Women's Basketball in the near future too:
"We've had fifteen women attend our 'Get Back Into' sessions to-date, but never all at once." said Coach MacDonald.
"It's great that there's so many players out there looking to get involved in the sport - and we'll help in any way we can. But first, we need to build a sizeable and committed training group, and we'll then look to liaise with those players and the venues in the area to try and get an appropriate training slot for the group - and monitor how well attended those sessions are - much like we did with the 'Get Back Into' sessions."
"After that, there's still a few hurdles to clear before we can formally launch a team! Primarily that there's no Women's league in Suffolk - however, our proximity to Norfolk may mean that league could present an option in the future - but it's a case of taking baby steps right now, and it starts with establishing numbers."
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