Our Club’s hopes of sharing the usage of a state of the art 1500 seat indoor stadium are very much in the balance following Telford and Wrekin Council’s shock decision two weeks ago to withdraw their financial support from the award winning Telford and Wrekin Sports, Learning and Enterprise Community (TSLEC) project.

The TSLEC project, a multi million pound plan which has financial support from a number of National Governing Bodies and from government funds was regarded by Sport England as a key regional and national pilot scheme for the development of high level community sports facilities, seemed to be on the point of being given the final go-ahead two weeks ago.

If that go-ahead had been given the next two years would have seen the building not only of a new indoor multi use centre, with top quality provision for basketball, netball and gymnastics, but also for the development on other facilities for cricket, rugby, tennis, and dance, and for the extension of the AFC Telford United Learning Centre and the development of a new 5 a side soccer centre. However, at the very last minute Telford and Wrekin Council announced that they would be withdrawing their financial input to the total pot required for the project’s successful delivery.

From our Club’s point of view this shock decision has put in jeopardy our plans of taking the sport of basketball in Telford, Shropshire as a whole, and regionally, to a completely different level.

Club Secretary Tom Sunley, who has been working on the project for several years now and had managed to get England Basketball to commit £500,000 to the project from its National Facilities development Budget, is not surprisingly gutted at what he sees as an unforgivable turn-around by Telford and Wrekin Council.

“It is absolutely amazing that having taken the lead with the development of the TSLEC concept, in conjunction with the four Key partners – AFC Telford Utd, Telford Colleg of Arts and Technology, Wrekin College and the Hasdley Learning Community, - and committed so much staff time and effort, they would then make a decision that puts the ultimate delivery of that project in jeopardy.”

“Much has been said in the press recently about the damage and furore that this decision has caused to AFC Telford Utd, but very little ahs been said about the damage that it has possibly done to the development of other sports like Basketball. Telford and Shropshire as a whole had been identified by England Basketball as the next area of the Country that they wished to invest in, and they regarded our Club as worthy of being backed to the tune of £500,000 to enable the multi use centre to be built”

“ We would have had peak time access to the new two court indoor stadium for a minimum of 25 peak time hours per week for training and match play. This, together with our continued partnership with TCAT and those other partnerships that we are developing with other schools in the Wellington area, would have given us the chance to become one of the largest Clubs in the Country. We had hoped to eventually have teams playing at the highest level; of the amateur game - in the National Senior Men’s and Women’s Leagues. We had also hoped that the 1500 seat capacity of the planned stadium would have also made Telford the ideal venue for International basketball and for a professional British Basketball League (BBL) franchise. “

Tom still hopes that a modified TSLEC plan which the project’s key partners, and the various individual sports clubs which have a vested interest in it, will be able to go ahead despite the withdrawal of Council support.

“Sport England have given us an extension till October to put forward our alternative proposal and to prove to them that the modified scheme, which will still include the 1500 seat stadium, is financially viable. We may have to face a tough fight, but we intend to do all we can to prevent Telford losing what is an unbelievable opportunity to be right on the National Sporting map.”

“If we aren’t successful our Club will look to work with our great partner TCAT to see if we can persuade England Basketball to invest the earmarked £500,000 into the development of their SportTCAT facility”.

Tom is urguing all Club members to write urgently to Andrew Eade, the leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, to register their disappointment at his decision to pull the plug on the TSLEC scheme and to urge the Council to re-consider their position. The address for such correspondence is:

Councillor Andrew Eade, Telford and Wrekin Council, Civic Centre, Telford, TF3 4WZ

 

Our Girls Head Coach Sally Harris was recently selected as the “Coach of the Camp” at the third FIBA (International Basketball Federation\ Europe Camp for Under 15 Girls, which took place in Postojna, Slovenia.

Apart from working with our Warriors programme Sally, who attended the University of Kentucky as a youngster, also runs the Ellesmere Lakers programme and is the West Midlands Area Performance Centre Coach. She is also a member of the National Girls Squad’s coaching team.

24 European countries were invited to send two U15 players, one coach, and one referee to the camp in Slovenia. What made this particular event unique was that all attendees were female. Sally was chosen to attend on behalf of EB together with players Whitney Allen (daughter of former Birmingham Bullets star Clive Allen), and Rachael Hopkins, and referee Kate Webb from Sheffield).

In her normal modest manner Sally said that she was totally surprised at being chosen as Coach of the Camp “I was absolutely delighted to receive the award, but it was a total surprise, and I am not sure what I did to get it! I just know that I enjoyed myself immensely and just got involved whenever possible. Everyone was very friendly and enthusiastic and this made for a great atmosphere. It was a rare treat to be able to spend four days solid talking basketball with so many other female coaches from around Europe. I had a blast at the Camp and at the end of the day that is why we do it – to have fun: something as coaches we need to remember when working with young people.”

Following her FIBA Camp experience Sally is more motivated than ever to see Girls Basketball in Shropshire develop to new heights. “The standard of play from some of the girls attending the Camp was excellent, and I came back to Shropshire knowing that I have to recruit some girls that are naturally athletic who I can teach basketball to. I may then produce some quality players”.

In the 2009 10 season Sally will be leading weekly coaching sessions for the Warriors U14 and U16 Girls squads at Thomas Telford on Thursday evenings. Any female who is interested in getting involved in the Warriors Girls programme is invited to contact Club Secretary Tom Sunley on 07718472362 or at sunley.tom@btinternet.com.

In recognition of her Coach of the Camp Award” Sally has been invited to attend the 2010 Euroleague Women’s Final as FIBA Europe’s guest with all expenses paid. She will attend the Finals together wit Susana Gomez Lopez, the referee of the camp, from Spain), Coklar Hulya from Turkey, the camps MVP, and Caroline Gilling from Denmark -the camp’s Most improved Player.

Our Club congratulates Sally on her wonderful achievement.