Women's Premier League

Women’s Premier League Round-up: 12th February

February 14, 2022 by Bethan Fagan

Cardiff Met Archers get their first win of the inaugural BWB Women’s Premier League season, and the race to claim the first 3-pointer is won!

Cardiff Met Archers vs Worcester Wolves

Cardiff Met Archers made the most of their first Women’s Premier League home game, earning their first win of the season with a 26-point lead against visitors Worcester Wolves (55:29).

Archers had 52 total rebounds (vs Wolves 36 total rebounds) and a FG average of 42% (25/59). The home team also had 6 steals. Jade Atkin (Archers) was game leader on points and rebounds with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Leah Evans (Archers) was game leader on assists with 7 assists. Jade Loughlin (Wolves) and Amber Loughlin (Wolves) both had 6 points for Wolves. Ellen Fraser (Wolves) had 7 total rebounds.

Loughborough Lightning vs East London Phoenix

Loughborough Lightning got their second win of the season against East London Phoenix in a thrilling match at UEL SportsDock (50:61). Notably, Amy Conroy (Phoenix) claimed the first 3pt of the season, and subsequently first of the brand-new league.

Lightning had a FG average of 54% (30/55) and were evenly matches on steals with both teams getting 7 each. Phoenix had 36 rebounds (vs Lightning’s 29 rebounds) and a 3pt average of 40% (2/5). Amy Conroy (Phoenix) was game leader on points with 31. Robyn Love (Lightning) had 22 points and was game leader on rebounds with 12 rebounds. Lucy Robinson (Lightning) had 21 points and 6 rebounds. Laurie Williams (Lightning) tied for game leader on assists with Conroy (Phoenix) with 4 assists each.

Coming up, Loughborough Lightning have their first WPL home game where they welcome Cardiff Met Archers – both teams coming in strong after their respective victories this weekend.

East London Phoenix welcome Worcester Wolves, with Worcester Wolves sure to channel their determination and grit to aim for their first win of the season.

BWB WPL Fixtures and Results: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/competition/womens-premier-league-2021-22/

BWB WPL Fanzone: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/womens-premier-league/

East London Phoenix secure the win in their season opener

January 28, 2022 by Bethan Fagan

East London Phoenix won 60:36 at Sportsdock after a huge fourth quarter from the home team in a thrilling match up against visitors Cardiff Met Archers. Click here to read the full match report.

The next BWB WPL fixtures take place on the 12^th of February. Loughborough Lightning head to East London Phoenix, and Cardiff Met Archers will have their first home game of the season against Worcester Wolves.

Rewatch the on the BWB YouTube: https://youtu.be/q3SCK6xpCOs

BWB WPL Fanzone: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/womens-premier-league/

The BWB Women’s Premier League begins!

January 22, 2022 by Bethan Fagan

Worcester Wolves and Loughborough Lightning got the inaugural BWB Women’s Premier League underway in style at the University of Worcester Arena on 22nd January.

Loughborough claimed the first ever win in the brand new league, taking the victory 41 – 58 over hosts Worcester. Click here to read the full match report.

East London Phoenix and Cardiff Met Archers will join the other founding members of the BWB Women’s Premier League next weekend, as Archers travel to UEL for their opening match of the season (28th January – tickets available here).

Rewatch the on the BWB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItxPqXIM3SY

BWB WPL Fanzone: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/womens-premier-league/

NEW BRITISH WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE TO BE BROADCAST LIVE

January 11, 2022 by Lesley Pilling

British Wheelchair Basketball has today announced that the BBC will show eight games live across the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League. The British Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Premier League will be the first of its kind for women’s wheelchair basketball, and the very first female professional para-sport league in the UK.

The season will begin in January 2022, with Cardiff Met Archers, East London Phoenix, Loughborough Lightning and Worcester Wolves competing for the title. All matches are to be broadcast, either live on the BBC’s digital platforms or through British Wheelchair Basketball’s YouTube channel.

The deal to show the first ever professional para-sport league in the UK is important to ensure disability representation, and for building on the momentum of the Tokyo Paralympics to encourage more disabled people see a pathway for them in sport. Bringing the sport to home audience’s outside of the Paralympic and Commonwealth Games will increase para-sport visibility more than ever before, this time with a new focus on domestic competition.

Lisa Pearce, British Wheelchair Basketball’s Chief Executive, said:

“We are delighted to announce the BBC as the broadcaster for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League. Wheelchair Basketball is an incredible sport, and it is really important to us that as many people as possible are able to experience the thrill of the game – many for the first time ever as a domestic competition.

“The Paralympics captures the attention of the nation every four years, and we want to build on the brilliance of our elite athletes to showcase wheelchair basketball more frequently. With the new Women’s Premier League, the BBC broadcast commitment will help to profile elite women’s sport and create more opportunities for people to play across all levels.

“The teams include an exciting variety of world-class, established international players and up-and-coming talent, and thanks to the support of the BBC more people than ever will be able to watch the action unfold.”

Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport said:

“This is a significant moment not just for Wheelchair Basketball but for British Paralympic sport as a whole. I’m delighted the BBC is supporting one of our most exciting and dynamic Paralympic sports and helping to showcase some of the best athletes in the world in action.

We are on a mission to create the greatest decade of extraordinary moments; reaching, inspiring and uniting the nation and achieving that will only be possible by making Olympic and Paralympic sport more accessible to the British public more often.

I look forward to watching the league develop and I’m sure we’ll also see the emergence of the next generation of role models who can inspire more people to take up this exciting sport.”

Fixtures and broadcast details for the British Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Premier League:

22/01/2022 13:00 Worcester Wolves v Loughborough Lightning – Live on BBC digital platforms

28/01/2022 19:00 East London Phoenix v Cardiff Met Archers – Live on YouTube

12/02/2022 16:30 East London Phoenix v Loughborough Lightning – Live on YouTube

12/02/2022 15:15 Cardiff Met Archers v Worcester Wolves – Live on YouTube

19/02/2022 16:30 East London Phoenix v Worcester Wolves – Live on YouTube

19/02/2022 18:00 Loughborough Lightning v Cardiff Met Archers – Live on YouTube

26/02/2022 13:00 Worcester Wolves v East London Phoenix – Live on YouTube

26/02/2022 13:00 Cardiff Met Archers v Loughborough Lightning – Live on BBC digital platforms

05/03/2022 13:00 Worcester Wolves v Cardiff Met Archers – Live on YouTube

05/03/2022 16:30 East London Phoenix v Loughborough Lightning – Live on BBC digital platforms

19/03/2022 13:00 Cardiff Met Archers v East London Phoenix – Live on YouTube

02/04/2022 18:00 Loughborough Lightning v Cardiff Met Archers – Live on BBC digital platforms

03/04/2022 12:00 Worcester Wolves v East London Phoenix – Live on BBC digital platforms

09/04/2022 13:00 Cardiff Met Archers v Worcester Wolves – Live on YouTube

09/04/2022 18:00 Loughborough Lightning v East London Phoenix – Live on YouTube

30/04/2022 18:00 Loughborough Lightning v Worcester Wolves – Live on BBC digital platforms

30/04/2022 13:00 East London Phoenix v Cardiff Met Archers – Live on BBC digital platforms

07/05/2022 18:00 Loughborough Lightning v Worcester Wolves – Live on YouTube

14/05/2022 15:00 Play offs / finals – Live on BBC digital platforms

To find out more, visit www.britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/womens-premier-league.

Worcester Wolves Name Simon Fisher as Head Coach to Spearhead Women’s Premier League Campaign

November 23, 2021 by Lesley Pilling

The former British Wheelchair Basketball Academy Lead and Interim Women’s Coach for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games has been appointed as the Head Coach of the Worcester Wolves’ new women’s wheelchair basketball premier league team.

Simon Fisher, a qualified wheelchair basketball and basketball (running game) coach, has a rich basketball pedigree, working with Basketball England’s national teams as Head Coach of England U16s from 2007 to 2011 and then England U17s Coach from 2011 to 2014. During his time with the U16s, Fisher was the first coach to lead an England age group team to promotion to Division A.

He has also played an integral part of the British Wheelchair Basketball (BWB) coaching set up. Simon joined BWB in 2014 as Talent Development Officer, progressing to Academy Lead in January 2018. Alongside this, he was the GB Men’s Team Manager when they won the World title at the 2018 World Championships, as well as Silver and Gold respectively at the 2017 and 2019 European Championships.

In March of this year, Simon was named as Interim Head Coach of the GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team and led them at the re-scheduled Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

In 2018, he was also Head Coach of the Wales Under 16’s National side.

As Head Coach, Simon will now lead the new women’s wheelchair basketball premier league side at the Worcester Wolves, which has already announced a fantastic line-up of players.

“I have close ties to the West Midlands region through Basketball, as a coach and administrator, in which time I have developed respect for the Wolves organisation, therefore, to have the chance to work with them, as well as the local community, athletes and students to develop Wheelchair Basketball is exciting,” he said. “It is with immense pleasure and pride to have the honour of being the inaugural Head Coach for Worcester Wolves.”

Worcester Wolves Managing Director Mick Donovan said he was very excited to have Simon Fisher as the team’s Head Coach.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Simon to the Worcester Wolves,” he said. “He has an outstanding reputation for his contribution in all forms of the game at all levels. As well as Head coach of the High Performance Partnership team, Simon will bring so much more to the club and we believe that he will have a great impact throughout our basketball programme.”

The League will be the first of its kind for women’s wheelchair basketball in the world, and the very first professional para-sport league in the UK.

The University of Worcester will be one of four High-Performance Partnerships, which also include Cardiff Metropolitan University, Loughborough University and the University of East London, that will each be home to a women’s premier league team.

The club will be making further announcements over the coming weeks. Keep up to date with all things Worcester Wolves across their social media channels and website.

For more information about the new Women’s Premier League, visit www.britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/womens-premier-league.

Press Release: University of Worcester

To find out more about BWB’s High Performance Partnerships, including athlete study and playing opportunities, visit www.britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/womens-premier-league.

Squads announced for new British Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Premier League

November 9, 2021 by Adam Bailey

British Wheelchair Basketball has today announced the line-up of the four teams competing in its inaugural Women’s Premier League.

The British Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Premier League will be the first of its kind for women’s wheelchair basketball, and the very first professional para-sport league in the UK.

The season will begin in January 2022, with Cardiff Met Archers, East London Phoenix, Loughborough Lightning and Worcester Wolves competing for the inaugural title.

The franchises are linked to four universities which will be centres of excellence for wheelchair basketball in the UK for both men and women. These High Performance Partnerships will develop and nurture wheelchair basketball talent, acting as hubs to incubate and develop future elite athletes and increase access to the Paralympic talent pathways across the UK.

The introduction of the league is a bold step forward for the sport in creating competitive domestic opportunities, increasing participation and challenging misconceptions of disability sport.

Lisa Pearce, British Wheelchair Basketball’s Chief Executive, said:

“We saw how the nation got behind the sport during the Paralympic Games, so I’m really excited to create more opportunities for people to watch wheelchair basketball in the UK. The teams include a range of leading players and up-and-coming talent, so it’s going to be a hugely interesting league to watch evolve.

“I am absolutely delighted to be working with our four High Performance Partnerships and creating more opportunities for elite female talent, both in the UK and internationally. Today is another important moment in achieving our big ambitions to raise the profile of the sport, build new audiences and create more opportunities for people to play across all levels.”

Three-time Paralympian and GB player Amy Conroy, who has been signed for the London side, added:

“I am genuinely so excited to be playing for East London Phoenix! The creation of the Women’s Premier League is absolutely huge for the sport and for us as players. To be able to compete in the UK and make our sport as accessible as possible – and get a feel for what a great game it is, is amazing! As cheesy as it sounds, wheelchair basketball changed my view of my disability and really helped my self-confidence, so if more awareness of the sport through the Premier League and Phoenix can do the same for others, then that’s a pretty game changing result!”

Cardiff Met Archers

Ella Beaumont

Katie Morrow

Leah Evans

Francesca Antoniazzi

Rebecca Ganley

Olivia Phillips

Anastasia Blease

Jade Atkin

Bethany Francis

Niamh Watson

Adele Atkin

Maddie Martin

East London Phoenix

Amy Conroy

Nicola Terrell

Fi Tillman

Bethany Wheeler

Evelyn Roberts

Freya Levy

Curran Brown

Charlotte Thornton White

Loughborough Lightning

Jude Hamer

Laurie Williams

Robyn Love

Lucy Robinson

Siobhan Fitzpatrick

Niamh Horan

Lynsey Speirs

Jessica Whyte

Ella Gilvarry

Holly Lounds

Worcester Wolves

Sarah Hope

Kayla Bell

Jess Atherley

Ellan Fraser

Jessica Dowdeswell

Amber-Leigh Loughlin

Catherine Yearron

Jade-Louise Loughlin

To find out more, visit www.britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/womens-premier-league.

Heartbreak for ParalympicsGB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team as they lose to China in the quarter-finals

August 31, 2021 by Adam Bailey

Emotional scenes unfolded in Tokyo’s Ariake Arena this evening as the GB Women missed out on a chance of accomplishing their dream and achieving a podium finish at the delayed 2020 Paralympic Games.

The Team, who are current World and European Silver medallists, had hoped to better their fourth-place finish in Rio and bring home a medal to add to their international credentials.

However, it was not to be as the team struggled to find their world-renowned form following a 20-month abstinence from international competition and challenging preparation conditions.

The team will look to regroup and reflect on the learnings from Tokyo, when they come back together and focus upon the 2021 European Championships later in the year in Madrid.

ParalympicsGB will now play Spain in the 7^th/8^th place play-off on Thursday 2^nd September at 7:00am (BST).

Lisa Pearce, CEO of British Wheelchair Basketball commented on the team’s performance:

“To simply have made it to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games is a huge achievement for this team. The challenges involved in bringing together a team of twelve elite Paralympic athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic was significant, with contact team training not recommencing until earlier this year and no competition taking place since March 2020.

“At this moment I could not be prouder of what this team has achieved here in Tokyo. They have come onto court each game prepared to fight, and they have never once wavered in this determination. Each and every one on this team is an inspiration to me, they have proudly represented their nation and have made many sacrifices and braved many obstacles to be here.”

ParalympicsGB Women qualify for the Quarter-Finals of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics Games

August 29, 2021 by Lesley Pilling

Dramatic scenes unfolded in Tokyo’s Ariake Wheelchair Basketball Arena as ParalympicsGB Women delivered a dramatic win against Australia to secure their place in the Quarter-Finals. The GB Women will now face China at 10:15 (BST) on Tuesday 31 August to battle for a place in the semi-finals.

The team fought hard to find its form during the opening games of the tournament, with tough losses against hosts Japan, Canada and Germany. Their final pool game against Australia was to be a defining moment of their Paralympic Campaign, determining their qualification into the quarter finals.

Hitting the court after a 20-month absence from international competition, the GB Women had trained for the postponed 2020 Paralympics under the shadow of the UK’s COVID-19 restrictions, and during three national lockdowns. The unique circumstances of their preparation, limited by significant periods of no equipment sharing, no close contact training, and no access to indoor basketball court environments, shines a light on the resilience of the team whose individual determination to be in Tokyo saw garages converted into gyms, and wheelchair basketball training taking place on outdoor courts and carparks.

As a GB Team they finally came together in the spring of 2021, to commence restricted environment training camps where the squad could begin their Paralympic Games preparation. In contrast to previous major tournament’s strict travel restrictions and quarantine rules removed the opportunity for the Team to experience international pre-games training and competition environments ahead of taking to court in Tokyo.

During the opening pool games it was clear that the squad needed the time to find its form, but tough loses against Japan, Canada and Germany were hard fought.

Following the 75-38 win against Australia, ParalympicGB’s Co-Captain Maddie Thompson commented:

“We really did ourselves proud – yesterday I said there was an ambition to find the GB Way and we really found it today. We really believed in ourselves today and I think it is really powerful when you play with a smile. The biggest thing going into today was to have fun – remember why we play wheelchair basketball.

“I huddled everyone up and said this is for the sacrifices we make – we deserve to be here. We’ve just started the mountain climb. We’ve got through the pools and we are now starting the climb to get into a medal position. That is where we are aiming.”

Jayne Ellis, ParalympicsGB Team Leader and BWB’s Performance Director added:

“I am so very very proud of this team, once again they have regrouped, refocused and come out onto court today determined to secure their quarter-final position. After such a long period away from competition, this is a huge stage for them to make their return.

“As World and European silver medallists they have been frustrated with the limitations of the training preparations (although understandable) – however, they have focused on basics and from today’s on-point shooting and the apparent depth in the squad it is clearly evident that this time was well spent.”