THE CITY OF LEEDS BASKETBALL FOUNDATION

The City of Leeds Basketball Foundation (COLBF) is a not-for-profit organisation whose agenda is to drive, develop and support the Leeds and West Yorkshire basketball community.

 

Background

 

The foundation was formed in 2010 following the evolution a partnership between Leeds Beckett University and the Leeds North-East School Sports Partnership based at Carr Manor High School which went live in 2006 driven by Director of Basketball Matt Newby. The City of Leeds Basketball Foundation have since committed to develop both the participation and performance pathways for a large number of participants from across the West Yorkshire region.  

 

We have four areas central to the City of Leeds programme, essentially defining its focus: 

 

Performance Pathway Development

Participation and Community Development

Facility Access and Development

Social Agendas and Education

 

Fast forward to 2022 and the City of Leeds Legacy is growing with 16 teams active in Basketball England's Junior National League structure and regional competition. A strong Basketball Academy based at Allerton High School and a commitment to growth in partnerships throughout the region, sets strong foundations for the future. The COLBF will continue to deliver curricular and extracurricular sessions, community development initiatives and special projects with such partners as Basketball England, Yorkshire Sport, North Yorkshire Sport, Youth Services and the North East School Sports Partnership, North West School Sports Partnerships, Wells School Sports Partnerships and Leeds Beckett University.

 

The club celebrated its 15th year as a member of Basketball England in 2022 and continues to contribute to the regional and national performance pathway while remaining committed to developing the sport at a grass roots level. We provide safe and friendly environment for all its members, encouraging long standing engagement and offering opportunities to develop basketball players, coaches, officials and volunteers.

 

Future Focus 2022-2026

 

• To continue the development of a robust participation structure, ensuring young people who have experienced the sport for the first time within COLBF curriculum delivery or community initiatives and projects, have the opportunity to compete locally in Central Venue League (CVL) competition open to the broader region. On a monthly basis there will be U11’s, U12’s and U13's local and regional CVL competitions all year round. Additionally we will continue to develop our U12's regional and national competitions that have seen significant growth post-pandemic with specific focus on launching an U12's National Invitational Tournament for girls.

 

• To be consistently competitive at a national league level and become an annual contender at U14’s, U16’s and U18’s level in both the boys and girls competitions. We aspire to generate such numbers that we will have the capacity to field three teams at each age group. This will be further enhanced by an U12’s pre-national league academy where talented young players identified from bounce and the younger tiers of the CVL structure will be fast tracked.  

 

• To become a national leader in the development of the Women’s game in terms of participation, development and performance.

 

• To maintain a strong and productive working relationship with Basketball England and to champion Leeds as a preferred destination for regional, national and international competitions.

 

• To continue to assist in the growth and development of the regional and national performance pathway by supporting and hosting the Aspire regional and super-regional aspects of the performance pathwayTournaments, Regional Performance Centres and National Teams.

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• Work in partnership with Basketball England, to continue supporting the development of high-level coaches and officials in the region.

 

• To further develop our post-16 provision at Allerton High School where the City of Leeds Basketball Academy is based, becoming a national contender who is highly competitive in both English Schools and CBL competition. This will include the expansion of our current provision for female athletes and we aim to be considered a premier programme in the national basketball fratenerity.

 

• Continue supporting and developing the local high school competition, specifically at U12’s U14’s and U16’s.  This includes maintaining a commitment to hosting Partnership, City and West Yorkshire finals and developing each event on a yearly basis.

 

• Develop a purpose-built basketball facility for the region with 3000 seats and four courts designated to basketball. 

 

• To maintain the aspects of the relationship we have with Leeds Beckett University; specifically in workforce development and opportunities for students, including those studying sports coaching, sports development, sports business management, physical education, sports therapy, physiotherapy, marketing and sports event management.

 

• To continue to develop our portfolio of international partners to provide opportunities for the young people within our programme to experience basketball within a different landscape.