As reported by Basketball England yesterday, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Basketball met with the main stakeholders in the British game to consider the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the sport.
In an excerpt from their article, they said:
“MPs and peers held a wide-ranging discussion with representatives in British basketball, to hear about the tireless efforts of the basketball community to survive and operate during the pandemic and their commitment to working together to plan for a recovery from the severe and disproportionate effect it has had on people and clubs in the game.
It is widely recognised that inequalities have widened within society during the pandemic and, because of the game’s demographic and infrastructure, it has had a severe impact on basketball, including maxibasketball which has seen numerous events postponed, training sessions restricted in numbers or cancelled due to facility closure at the height of the pandemic.”
Sir Mike Penning, Chair of the Basketball APPG and passionate supporter of the game, said:
“COVID-19 has hit the basketball community very hard – socially, financially and in terms of physical and mental health. We heard about the immense efforts of players, volunteers, clubs, organisations and supporters to get through the pandemic and manage the severe impact of COVID.
“It was very encouraging to hear about the collective efforts of the governing bodies, leagues, clubs and other stakeholders working together to manage the reduction in revenue and access to facilities whilst finding safe and practical ways to plan to return to play as soon as possible.
As an interested stakeholder, these observations firmly resonated with GB Maxibasketball. As the pandemic unfolded during 2020, the risk to the game and participantss became clear, particularly the social and physical impact that periods of enforced social distancing would potentially have on players. So, since the start of the pandemic, we have kept our maxi ballers actively engaged and connected with one another via online strength and conditioning sessions (Maxis women), an informal fitness and motivational chat group (Maxis men), use of digital physical activity technology and through regular conventional communication.
More recently, we have returned to court to resume our performance camps, adhering to Covid RTP guidance for elite sport. Players have reported that involvement in the GB Maxibasketball programme gave them something positive to focus on, and has contributed to maintaining their mental and physical wellbeing during an unprecedented and difficult time. We obviously aim to continue this as we gradually move beyond, and recover from, the impact of Covid-19.
Basketball generally can’t wait for 17 May 2021 to come around, when the next phase of the UK Government’s easing of lockdown will see all adult indoor sport resume. In the meantime, you can read the full Basketball England article HERE
Picture credit: Stephen Newland, LWB
