News

The Hoopsfix Foundation has partnered with Access Sport to renovate and activate five basketball courts across the capital.

The three year partnership agreement between the charitable arm of the UK’s leading basketball media and events platform and one of the leading inclusive sports charities in the UK aims to create more opportunities for disadvantaged and disabled young people to play basketball, enriching their lives through the benefits of inclusive sport.

Hoopsfix will support Access Sport to activate at least five community basketball courts in underserved areas of London.

Hoopsfix is already a leader in this space, having worked alongside Foot Locker, National Basketball Association, Basketball England, and Lambeth Council to refurbish the Clapham Common basketball courts in 2021, which have since become a hub of basketball activity in London.

Sport England’s Active Lives data demonstrates that basketball is consistently more impactful on well-being compared to other sports and attracts people from the least affluent backgrounds, holding untapped potential to transform the lives of underserved young people.

“Partnerships like this one connect Access Sport with a network of community basketball clubs and are therefore invaluable,” Tess Cinamon Duffield, Head of Programm at Access Sport commented.

“By working with Hoopsfix, we are gaining insight into what facilities could benefit from our support and linking directly with communities, volunteers and coaches who want to become more inclusive. Together we hope to provide as many young people as possible with the benefits of this amazing sport.”

This partnership will not only improve and activate basketball courts, but also provide long-term support for the London basketball community.

Clubs will have access to the ongoing guidance needed to set up and sustain a thriving inclusive club, including access to training, resources and equipment.

Hoopsfix’s network of clubs and connections throughout the British basketball scene will be used to maximise the reach of this work, ensuring that communities who really need this support can gain access.

“We know from our own research that dedicated, high quality, outdoor basketball spaces are incredibly important to getting people playing more basketball,” Sam Neter, the Executive Director of the Hoopsfix Foundation added.

“This partnership with Access Sport will allow us to transform at least another 5 courts across the capital to provide better playing opportunities to thousands of young people.”

Hoopsfix Summer Jam presented by Foot Locker saw the summer calendar of activity finish on a high at Clapham Common basketball courts in South London on Saturday.

As part of Foot Locker and Hoopsfix’s ongoing commitment to activating Clapham Common courts following the renovation in 2021, Summer Jam was the culmination of five weeks of activity in the space, which began with four weeks of coaching sessions – three with Coach Gary Maitland and the final week an NBA skills clinic with Coach Junior Williams.

At Summer Jam, the inaugural ‘Clapham Common Cup’ took place, a straight knockout 5-on-5 tournament for under-23s with both male and female categories, along with the ‘King of the Trenches’ and ‘Queen of the Trenches’ 1-on-1 competition presented by Dezereels for a £500 cash prize, along with DJ, MC and entertainment.

Raiders – featuring Solent’s Kai Walker and Zain Poorman, saw off Nothing to Worry About 43-36 to claim the 2022 Clapham Common Cup in the men’s division, while Team Emerald took home the Cup in the women’s division, defeating Team Ruby 40-31 led by Chantel Charles and Janice Monakana.

All winners received a Clapham Common Cup engraved tankard, along with a £100 Foot Locker voucher.

Meanwhile, the debut for the King of the Trenches and Queen of the Trenches 1-on-1 competitions, saw recent Commonwealth Games silver medal winner Shanice Beckford-Norton and Damarni Velinor fight off stiff competition to claim the crowns.

The 1-on-1 competition was organised by Deric Eze of Dezereels, as part of our vocational education, giving him his first experience of event management under the tutelage and guidance of Hoopsfix.

The first ever Hoopsfix Pro-Am was a resounding success, selling out* all five weeks it took place, while amassing over 30,000 views on the YouTube live streams.

Over 300 people per week packed into the City of London Academy in Southwark, to watch a six-game slate featuring two women’s games and four men’s games taking place from June 19th until July 16th.

The five week summer league brought together the best of British basketball, both seasoned pros and top prospects; targeting elite level players, some of whom are rarely seen in organised competition in the UK.

Headlining names include Great Britain Senior internationals such as Orlan Jackman – fresh off winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal this summer, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Carl Wheatle, Rob Gilchrist and Akwasi Yeboah, while on the female side, London Lions’ Holly Winterburn, Shanice Beckford-Norton, Shequila Joseph and Renee Busch all took to the floor.

Glacier Boys were crowned men’s champions, while Team Sapphire took the women’s crown.

Isi Ozzy-Momodu earned women’s tournament MVP honours after consistent performances – as she prepares to head to JUCO in Florida next season, while Peter Turay, heading to NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, claimed men’s tournament MVP honours.

Plans are in place to continue the Pro-Am on an annual basis

For more information or sponsorship enquiries, please contact sam[@]hoopsfix.com (removing the brackets).

*Tickets were not sold, but free via registration.

The 2022 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic was a record-breaking success, setting a new record for a junior basketball event in the UK with 1500 in attendance as the top under-19 talent from across the country took to the floor.

Taking place on Saturday May 28th at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, an Under-19 Women and Under-19 Men’s game, along with 3-point shoot out, dunk contest, morning clinic for Under-12s and coaching clinic packed the schedule, which totalled 16,000 views in the first day of the YouTube broadcast.

The event was sponsored by Jordan, Foot Locker, Sportserve, Molten, 5or6, Always Ballin’ and Red Bull.

Under-12 Clinic

Chiswick Gators U12s were invited to take part in the clinic after winning the U12 Community Basketball League title the week before. 12 of their players participated in a 90 minute session led by GB Internationals (and siblings) Kyla and Luke Nelson.

Coaching Clinic

The 25 available registration spots were filled within 2 days of being announced as people were eager to see Surrey Scorchers’ Head Coach Creon Raftopoulos, London Lions WBBL Head Coach Mark Clark, City of London Academy’s Jackson Gibbons and Solent Kestrels and GB’s Performance Analyst Adam Sewell share their knowledge.

Foot Locker 3-Point Shoot Out

Quinn Elis was crowned the winner of the Foot Locker 3-point shootout after an impressive showing. The Italy-based professional guard produced a score of 18 to beat Katie Januszewska and Anna Nevison in the final to top the third edition of the mixed gender contest and follow Rhys Sundimalt and Alex Distras as winners – both of whom were in attendance, with Sundimalt presenting the trophy.

Under-19 Women’s Game

Team White were victorious over Team Black in the Under-19 Women’s game, taking a 79-61 victory. Issy Bunyan was named MVP after finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and two steals in just 16 minutes of action having played a key role in the pivotal run in the third quarter.

There was another strong performance from Isi Ozzy-Momodu with 15 points to lead the team in scoring, with Maisie Evison and Katie Januszewska also in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively.

Foot Locker Dunk Contest

Charles Okafor edged Sheffield College teammate Declan Kom to claim the Foot Locker Dunk Contest title.

ALl-Star Classic alumnus Kayne Henry, the UK’s best dunker Joel Henry, 2016 Dunk Contest champion Amin Adamu and 2021 Dunk contest winner Hensy Sako were the four judges in the contest as six participants battled it out.

Okafor and Kom both impressed with perfect scores in the second of their two opening round dunks with Simeon Perry pushed into third place, while Bryan Akanmu and Marcus Myen King-Danchie were separated by two points. Chudi Dioramma stepped in as a late replacement for Kane Daley.

Under-19 Men’s Game

Team White picked up the win in the Under-19 Men’s game as they defeated Team Black 96-85 at the 2022 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic.

Quinn Ellis claimed a second MVP award of the day with a near triple-double of 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the win.

Louie Jordan, signed to NCAA Division 1 school Weber State, had 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while US-based Marcus Myen King-Danchie had 15 points and Michael Belle, a pro in France with SIG Strasbourg added 14.

For more information or to discuss sponsorship opportunities around the 2023 edition, please email sam[@]hoopsfix.com (removing the brackets!).

The Hoopsfix Foundation will debut the first ever Hoopsfix Pro-Am this summer in London, sponsored by Jordan brand, taking place from June 19th until July 16th at City of London Academy, Southwark.

The five week summer league aims to bring together the best of British basketball, targeted at elite level players, some of whom are rarely seen in organised competition in the UK.

The event, which is free for spectators, has been NCAA certified to allow Division 1 student-athletes to play and will feature 8 men’s teams, and 4 women’s teams, taking place from 12pm until 8pm on Sunday 19th & 26th June, and Saturday 2nd, 9th and 16th July.

All games will be live streamed, with photography and highlights to profile the athletes, with a physio on site throughout the day to ensure player’s welfare is prioritised. Every week, 250 tickets will be open for free registration to the community.

To register an expression of interest to play/have a team for the men’s league, please fill out the form here, to register for the women’s league, fill out the form here.

To apply for media accreditation, click here.

The Hoopsfix Foundation today releases its first official resource, a guide on how to renovate outdoor basketball courts.

‘How to Renovate Your Local Basketball Court‘ is a 34-page, 5000-word booklet, guiding anyone through every step of the way to take their court from a state of disrepair to something they can be proud of.

Drawing upon experiences learned through the Foundation’s first court renovation project at Clapham Common, while also consulting with various people across the UK who have also been involved with their own court transformations, it is the first in-depth resource of its kind in the UK.

“I’m incredibly proud to release our first resource to help empower people within their own local communities,” Sam Neter, Executive Director of the Hoopsfix Foundation said.

“We’ve said that the work we do with the Foundation we want to be scaleable and have national impact, acting as a facilitator and enabler for others. This guide does exactly that.

“Clapham Common was a 3 year project from initial idea to completion and there were countless learnings along the way, and now we are able to share all of those with others with the aim of helping produce better quality outdoor facilities across the country.”

The guide, designed by Lizzy Harrison, is endorsed by Basketball England, Project Swish and Project in the Paint, featuring 14 chapters along with an appendix of case studies to demonstrate what is possible with different budgets.

To coincide with the launch, an hour long behind the scenes Vlog of the Clapham Common renovation was released on YouTube, giving week-by-week insight into what goes into a court transformation project:

The digital pdf version of the guide completely free, while the print version is £9.99, with all proceeds going towards the Foundation’s work. Optional donations are also welcomed.

You can order the guide from Gumroad by clicking here.

The Hoopsfix Foundation has launch an official Discord server, an online community for people working in off-court roles to help grow British basketball.

Ranging from club owners, to staff, to business owners, event organisers, content creators and coders, the community that is already approaching 50 members communicates daily, sharing lessons learned, asking questions and networking to help strengthen the game.

“I think this will fast become one of the most valuable online spaces in British basketball,” Hoopsfix Foundation Executive Director Sam Neter commented.

“There is a wealth of experience in our game that goes completely untapped, and hopefully by providing a centralised location for people to connect it will mean we can all learn from each other and get better to help grow the game.”

Already in its short existence it has connected various people, helped members get media accreditation to numerous events, aided setting up basketball clubs, shared countless sources of funding and discussed different routes to gaining sponsorship.

The server is open to anyone who wants to help grow the basketball economy in the UK, whether they are currently already working within the sport or aspire to be.

If you are interested in joining, contact Sam Neter on [email protected] with a bit about yourself and why you think the server will be of value to you.

The Hoopsfix Foundation today announces the appointment of four new board members as it prepares to head into its next phase of growth.

With an updated mission statement and articles of association, the new board will help align and drive the organisation forward to maximise the Foundation’s impact on British basketball.

Former England international Steve Nelson, will take on the Chair role, and is joined by Dr Natalie Campbell, Richard Frost, and Faith Okwuosa, as the board has decades of combined experience across the private and public sectors whilst all being passionate basketball advocates.

“I’m hugely excited about our new additions to the board,” said Sam Neter, who will report to the Foundation board as Executive Director.

“There is a wealth of opportunity within British basketball to make lasting change, and with the wealth of experience and expertise of our board, I think the Foundation has the potential to be at the forefront of that.”

Steve Nelson – Chair

Steve Nelson, a former England international and professional basketball player of 15 years, is Chief Executive of the West of England Sport Trust (Wesport),

Previously head of development for England Basketball, he has created the County Sports Partnership for Sussex, and Wesport and has held numerous non-executive roles in the sport, culture and voluntary sectors.

Steve works regularly at a national level within the Active Partnerships network, and in his voluntary roles. He is a member of the Sport Think Tank Advisory Group, an independent network dedicated to thorough and insightful thinking around sporting policy in the UK. Steve has also worked on a consultancy basis for UK Sport as part of the International Inspiration programme, working in India and Trinidad and Tobago.

Outside of work, he has been a volunteer basketball coach at regional, county, and junior national league level, with his team crowned under 18 men’s national champions in 2011. He has developed and supported more than a dozen players that have gone on to represent England or GB, including his son and daughter, Luke and Kyla, both of whom are GB Senior internationals.

Steve’s knowledge and experience will contribute to the foundation through his extensive knowledge of sports and the public sector, not-for-profit operations, management, performance and grassroots basketball, and sporting policy.

Dr Natalie Campbell – Director

Natalie is a chartered psychologist specialising in developing subjective health and well-being through targeted intervention. She has worked across high performance sport and higher education for over 10 years, and is currently based at the University of Gloucester as a Senior Lecturer.

A sports academic, a leadership consultant and a published author, Natalie is also a volunteer Special Olympic coach and a trustee.

Within sport, she has worked as a performance psychologist and a performance lifestyle coach for a number of national athletes, teams and squads, primarily in her role with the English Institute of Sport for almost 5 years. Within higher education, she specialises in teaching on Sport & Exercise Science degrees, with a particular focus on social psychology, athlete wellbeing and mental health, developing cultures of care, and team dynamics.

A former player, Natalie has played at Thames Valley Tigers, Reading Rockets, Plymouth Raiders, BUCS, and London Westside, whilst also being a Level 2 Basketball England qualified coach. She hung up her boots when she moved to Bath and had her 2 daughters.

Natalie’s knowledge and experience will contribute to the foundation through strategic development of acquiring funding grants, delivering research projects, and communicating impact and evaluation of projects.

Richard Frost – Director

Richard is a brand consultant and founder of First Five Marketing, with over 14 years cross-functional experience in the sports industry.

Having previously spent more than a decade at Nike, leading the full-funnel brand engagement strategy, as well as lifecycle membership and affiliate projects for the UK’s most played Team and Specialty sports including Basketball, Rugby, Football, Netball, Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Skate and American Football.

Past projects have included working with iconic clubs, federations and athletes to launch industry leading apparel, footwear and brand narrative for World Cups, European Championships, Champions League Finals and Olympic Games; all with the ultimate goal of growing capacity for more people to enjoy sport on their terms.

Richard’s knowledge and experience will contribute to the foundation through input on brand strategy & positioning, consumer insights, product and campaign marketing, along with creative and media planning.

Faith Okwuosa – Director

Faith is a Brunel University graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Design and Branding Strategy, who went on to pursue her career in Technology and building exciting digital products.

With a near decade of experience across digital teams in the capacity of a Developer, Scrum Master, Software Tester, and now a Product Manager, Faith has been responsible for and/or been a part of the development team for many successful digital products and has also received recognition in her field after being shortlisted for the UK eCommerce Rising Star Award (2019).

Faith has been involved in basketball for the last 15 years as a Coach, Team Manager, Referee, Table Official, Statistician, and player at all levels in the U.K (WBBL, NBL, Local league).

Faith continuously supports the growth of basketball in this country by offering her knowledge, skillset, and time to clubs and organisations within the community, including our very own Hoopsfix All-Star Classic.

Faith’s knowledge and experience will contribute to the foundation through input on all technology-focused projects, advising on user interface and user experience, technologies, product, and development cycles.

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The Foundation had its first board meeting this month, and outlined immediate priorities, which includes two funding bids that will be submitted in the coming weeks.

As the Hoopsfix Foundation prepares to level up, increasing its capacity and heading into its next phase of development, the new website has officially been launched.

Featuring clear pages outlining who we are, what we do, and where our attention is currently focused, the website will also allow people to donate to support the Foundation’s work with financial contributions, whilst signing up to volunteer their services.

Having re-written the Foundation’s governing articles, we are now in the process of recruiting four new board members to oversee the organisation moving forward.