The Your Basketball League Wheelchair Development League, a local league sanctioned by British Wheelchair Basketball, will get underway this weekend, with the aim of players being able to develop skills in a flexible and safe environment.
Featuring eight teams from across the Midlands, the Your Basketball League will provide a locally accessible format British Wheelchair Basketball identified as one of its focuses following its league review earlier this year.
The format of Your Basketball League will consist of four quarters of seven minutes; rather than the traditional 10 minutes in order to maximise competitive opportunities.
Commentating ahead of the first round of fixtures, Liz Grinnell, Your Basketball League Inclusion Officer, said:
“After many months of planning and organising, I am excited that the first round of this brand-new league is finally here.
“My hopes for this league are to inspire our next generation of players, coaches and officials. This league will give individuals the platform to develop their skills in a non-pressured environment with some of the best tutors within the sport.
“I am proud to represent and work alongside the YBL, allowing our future rising stars, in whatever pathway they choose to thrive and shine with the opportunities this league can offer them.
“This initiative really underpins the ethos of the sport as a whole, demonstrating that no matter how we play, coach or officiate – whether it is from a wheelchair or by running, we can work together to make out sport the very best it can be.”
How will the league work?
The eight teams taking part in the Your Basketball League Wheelchair Development League have been split into two groups of four with each team playing each other twice during the group stage across two rounds of competition.
At the end of the group stage, the top-two in each group will then progress through to the semi-finals with a place in May’s final at stake.
| Group A | Birmingham Eagles Bromsgrove Blaze Hotshots Jaguars The Bears Development II |
| Group B | Bradford Bears The Bears Development I The Bears Women Worcester Wolves |
More information about the league, including fixtures, results and league tables, can be found here: https://www.ybl.org.uk/WDL19.html
Follow British Wheelchair Basketball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for coverage from Sunday’s group stage fixtures.
