BBF & BE get joint £4.5m in funding with focus on 3×3

The British Basketball Federation and Basketball England have been awarded a combined £4.475million pounds primarily for 3×3 basketball in the period leading to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The British Basketball Federation (BBF) has been allocated £2.925million by UK Sport, while Basketball England is set to receive £1.55million from Sport England, aimed “primarily at boosting GB’s performance in the exciting 3×3 form of the game”, but will also support areas of the more traditional 5 on 5 version of the game.

Additional to the joint bid, Sport England has also invested £2.4m into BE’s England Talent Pathway for the 2024-2028 period, to support the development of players, coaches and professional staff through the junior ranks to elite level.

The awards – the first time UK Sport and Sport England have joined forces in this way – respond to an integrated plan put forward by the BBF and Basketball England.

“British Basketball has entered a new era,” BBF Chair Chris Grant said.

“This funding represents a vote of confidence in the work that we’ve already done to raise standards on and off the court, as well as an endorsement of our vision and plans to take GB Basketball to new heights.”

“Basketball is the second most-played team sport among young people, and nobody doubts that we have the talent to compete and win at the very highest levels. The key to success is the development of a coherent player pathway that has clear performance standards and works towards a common goal. High quality development for coaches and professional staff sits alongside performance and player welfare as key themes in the strategic future of British Basketball.

“The additional funding from UK Sport and Sport England will enable us to take all of this to the next level. It is an exciting time for the sport.

“The simultaneous announcement of additional investment from Sport England is ground-breaking and recognises the joined-up plan that we were able to present alongside Basketball England.

“We would also like to thank Basketball Wales and Basketball Scotland for the work that they are doing with us to ensure that we can identify and nurture future stars in both 5v5 and 3×3 basketball across all three nations.”

In total, the sum represents a more than threefold increase in public funding for elite basketball at GB level.

Along with its inclusion in the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, 3×3 basketball is becoming an increasingly large focus of the federations.

Chair of Basketball England, Paul Blanchard said:

“This is a hugely important and exciting moment for basketball and the result of positive collaboration between the British Basketball Federation and Basketball England.

“The award is an indication of the faith in our shared vision for the game shown by our respective funding partners, UK Sport and Sport England.

“We at Basketball England, alongside our Home Country Association partners at Basketball Scotland and Basketball Wales, are looking forward to further cementing our working relationship with the BBF, to deliver the best possible results in developing talent via our aligned shared pathway as we embrace this opportunity.”

The longer-term goal, the federations say, “is to compete for medal opportunities at World and Olympic levels”.

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