New City College plays host to US Embassy-led basketball clinic to inspire females in sport

New City College played host this week to an exciting basketball event that was led by the US Embassy and the British Basketball League!

The Basketball Clinic was held to inspire girls living locally and across London to get involved in the sport. They were able to take advantage of the amazing sports facilities at NCC Hackney campus and they heard motivational speeches from basketball VIPS, American Jarron Collins – the current NBA coach – and Arron Radin, the CEO of the British Basketball League.

The clinic was featured on the ITV London Evening News where viewers heard that the aim was to follow the success of the England Lionesses in football, breaking down barriers, and inspiring more females to play basketball and get involved in this historically male-dominated sport.

The practical sessions were delivered by New City College partners, The London Lions, who train students on Sport and Fitness courses at the Hackney campus. Many former students have achieved huge success in basketball having started off with the Lions and are now playing in the USA.

Josiah Asantewa-Philip and Suhayb Choaibi, who studied Level 3 Sport and were part of the London Lions Basketball Development Partnership this year at NCC, have been awarded all expenses paid scholarships to study and play in America for two years.

They are following in the footsteps of other famous former NCC Hackney students – the great Darius Defoe and Taiwo Badmus.

The idea of the Basketball Clinic originally came from the US Embassy in London, who reached out to the British Basketball League. Together they wanted to show the power that basketball can have in local communities and how events like this can inspire girls to engage in a sport they may not have had the opportunity to play before.

NBA star Jarron Collins said: “It takes time but where there’s more representation, where you see more women and people of colour getting opportunities and having success, that opens the door for the next generation and for others.”

One schoolgirl who took part said: “It was good fun. I usually play with boys because there are not a lot of girls who play basketball, so I’m really enjoying the sessions today, being surrounded by girls who like to play the sport.”

Take a look at our Sport courses and our partnership with The London Lions