GB Maxibasketball Men’s 50+ squad will make history as they take part in this year’s FIBA Masters Open Championship.
Held in Corinth-Loutraki, Greece from 4-12 July 2026, the competition will be staged for the first time by basketball’s world governing body FIBA.
The Masters Open is the first major international championship dedicated to the masters game, following FIBA’s formal recognition of the category in December 2025.
GB Maxis will be the first and only British team entered into the competition for 2026, and in an eight-team field for the 50+ category, the squad have been drawn into a tough opening group alongside basketball powerhouses Italy and Serbia, plus Mongolia, with Australia, Ireland and Spain occupying the other pool.
Head Coach Mark Poynton said:
“As the first and only recognised British team at this championship, we are incredibly proud to support FIBA’s inclusion of the masters category within its suite of international competitions.
“It’s a tough draw, but the group is relishing the chance to test itself against some of the strongest masters nations in the world.”
GB Maxis travel to Greece with a 12-strong squad including former professional players Damon Cooper, Matt Cunningham, Matt Williams and Dave Ashton, alongside Scotland’s Lee Phillips (Paisley) and Donald Sampley (Ayr).
The squad is completed by Jeff Wadey, Calvin Tarlton, Chris Mark, Dave Mann, Phil Kidd and Ewan Kassir. Poynton’s side is supported by assistant coaches Dave Mason — formerly of St Mirren Basketball Club in the late 1990s — and Aaron Syrett.
The squad will play in honour of former GB 50+ captain and Welsh international Keith Kelly, and this unit is determined to do his memory proud as they take to the court in Greece.
Looking Ahead to 2026/27
Looking beyond Greece to the FIBA Masters Open 2027, GB Maxibasketball is now opening expressions of interest from masters players across England, Scotland and Wales for the 2026/27 season.
Registration is available via their registration form, and prospective coaching, support and performance staff are also welcome to contact the programme directly for information on available roles within the GB Maxibasketball national performance structure.
Open training weekends will be held at the Nottingham Wildcats Arena. Women’s sessions take place on 5–6 September and 3–4 October 2026, with men’s sessions on 12–13 September and 10–11 October 2026.
The full training calendar for the 2026/27 season is available on the GB Maxibasketball website.
A Note on Governance
Notwithstanding FIBA’s recognition of the masters age category, GB Maxibasketball acknowledges that the current focus of the basketball home nations’ Interim Delivery Group remains on the established junior and senior national teams. We therefore look forward to engaging formally with the new British Basketball governance structure, once established, to determine a transparent process for the selection and preparation of future National Member Federation (NMF) masters teams as part of the British basketball performance pathway.
