Author: LRF Media

This weekend saw four of our Academy teams in action, delivering exciting performances and demonstrating their growth on the court. The U12 Boys and U14 Girls travelled to face Northants Thunder, while the U14 Boys and U16 Boys hosted games at home. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the matches, along with key reflections from the coaching staff.

U12 Boys 57-70 Northants Thunder

The U12 Boys showed promise early on, taking an 8-point lead after the first quarter. However, Thunder stormed back in the second, leaving the team trailing by 6 at halftime. Despite their determination, challenges with ball handling, shot selection, and rebounding allowed Northants to capitalize on turnovers.
Top Scorers: Lucas R (19), Nate (12), Henry (12)

Coach’s Comments:
“The boys competed hard but struggled with consistency. Lucas R stood out with his defensive presence despite battling injuries, while Nate and Henry provided key contributions. There’s room for improvement, especially in maintaining energy and focus.” – Carl Stokes

U14 Girls 39-82 Northants Thunder

In a tough matchup against a disciplined and physical Thunder team, the U14 Girls faced challenges but showed significant improvement in the second half.
Top Scorers: Tripat (21), Florence (6)

Coach’s Comments:
“While the scoreline was tough, I’m pleased with the second-half effort. Keah showed fantastic progress, especially in her driving and playmaking under pressure. This was a step forward, and I’m confident the team will continue to develop.” – James Turner

U14 Boys 75-50 Nottingham Junior Hoods

The U14 Boys extended their winning streak with a dominant performance. From start to finish, the team showcased discipline, teamwork, and offensive efficiency.
Coach’s Comments:
“This was a solid, team-focused effort. The energy on and off the court was excellent, and our offensive execution reached its potential. It’s rewarding to know I can count on all 12 players to contribute. We’ll aim to carry this momentum into future games.” – Coach LG

U16 Boys 82-85 Manchester Magic

In a nail-biter at home, the U16 Boys narrowly fell to Manchester Magic. The game was a thrilling back-and-forth battle, with both teams pushing each other to the limit. Key performances and lessons from this contest will no doubt propel the team forward as they refine their play.

Stay tuned for more updates as our Academy teams continue their journey through the season

Leicester Riders Foundation are hosting a 3×3 Tournament at the Morningside Arena on August 12th & 13th.

Booking

Booking’s will be taken through our booking site, CLICK HERE for Junior bookings (U14 & U18) or CLICK HERE for Senior bookings (Adults). Please only book 1 place per team.

Both Male & Female teams will have their own division in the junior and senior groups.

Once you have booked on, you will receive an email linking you to a form, then please provide us with the information for your team.

At 9:00am on Wednesday 9th August signups will close and each team will receive a full timetable and itinerary.

🔥 LRF Summer 3×3 Tournament.

We're hosting our first ever Summer 3×3 Tournament @LeicesterArena in August!

Click below for more info on how the tournament will work & to book your team's place ⤵️https://t.co/ktJuqeUytH pic.twitter.com/QCttrYjlqE

— Leicester Riders Foundation (@RidersBF) July 20, 2023

The Tournament

Each age group will initally play a round robin group stage before moving onto knockout fixtures. Each game will be 10 minutes running clock or first team to 21 points.

The runner up of each age group will receive 4 tickets to a Leicester Riders game. The winners will receive 4 tickets to a Riders game and a cash prize.

Book your team now to be part of the first Leicester Riders Foundation Summer 3×3 Tournament! Let’s Go!!

Last season we launched the Mo-Mentum mentoring programme with Riders professional player Mo Walker. After suffering a season ending Achilles injury in October, Mo expressed his passion to get involved in the community and use his experiences playing basketball across the world to make an impact on the younger generation.  

Throughout the 6 week Mo-mentum programme Mo discusses each chapter in his professional career and uses a variety of activities to teach the students the lessons he learnt along the way. Mo works with disengaged young people and the aim of the programme is to use Mo’s experiences to get them back on track and more involved in the classroom. 

An example of a young person who has thrived on the programme is Aleks Novak. Aleks was awarded our Mo-memtum Hero award in May at our Awards night. Aleks has participated and completed the momentum programme and has shown significant growth and improvement and made great effort and dedication to be a part of the journey. 

So far we have taken our Mo-Mentum programme into 7 schools however by October 2023 we will have delivered the programme in 13 secondary schools across the Midlands.

📈 Week 2 of Mo-mentum @WigstonAcademy, @BChampCollege & @ManorHighSchool.

Mo talked to the students about his High School experiences as well as taking them on court to play some fun games. pic.twitter.com/zBXendbpl7

— Leicester Riders Foundation (@RidersBF) January 25, 2023

Mr Carton from Wigston Academy believes the programme offered his students a valuable insight into the life of a professional athlete and the life skills you need to develop in order to be successful. “Mo’s 6 week programme offered a real personal insight into his life and the life of a professional athlete, where he discussed many important life skills such as confidence, resilience and much more. Thank you Mo!” 

Mo is pleased with how his first programme has gone and hopes the students were able to take plenty away from it. “I think the first run of the program went very well. The kids at each school were all very engaged in every session by participating and asking good questions. Hopefully all the kids walked away with some valuable life lessons by listening to the trials and tribulations that basketball has put me through. They also had fun playing basketball games and having some competitions mixed in throughout the weeks. I’m looking forward to working with the next group of schools.”

Mo has re-signed for the Riders for the 2023/24 British Basketball League season and will continue to work with the Leicester Riders Foundation alongside his basketball commitments. We are looking forward to having Mo join us in continuing to grow the Mo-mentum programme, whilst integrating other players on our Men’s and Women’s teams into the programmes delivery.

“To hear that Mo is coming back to the club for this upcoming season is super exciting. Mo’s presence in the community last year set the bar really high for how professional athletes can be present in their community, were really excited to see how Mo can continue this legacy. We’re looking forward to continuing to develop our Mo-mentum programme next academic year.” – Laura Shephard, Leicester Riders Foundation General Manager.

Mo also played a major part in the delivery of our Ambassador Assembly project funded by Sport England & the BBL. Mo alongside a number of our other BBL & WBBL players delivered 87 Ambassador Assemblies to 10,216 school children. 

If you would like Mo to book either a Mo-mentum programme or Ambassador Assembly with either your school or youth group email [email protected] for more information.

 

The Leicester Riders Foundation have partnered with both De Montfort University and the University of Leicester over the past year to provide the best opportunities for their student athletes. This partnership enables students to access high quality training from our coaches and develops student athletes to reach their full potential, whilst providing our Foundation staff with further opportunities to coach.   

Our coaches worked with the University of Leicester’s Men’s Second Team and the Women’s First Team and De Montfort University’s Women’s First Team, to facilitate student team progression and aid individual player development.    

Students from both Universities have full access to train using our state-of-the-art Morningside Arena facilities as part of working with the Leicester Riders Foundation. Players also receive media coverage from our in-house marketing officer, developing high quality action shot photographs for players and teams. Students also receive additional benefits such as exclusive offers to Riders games.  

Varsity 2023 ✅

Congratulations to all of the coaches & players who played their part in 3 fantastic games! pic.twitter.com/5b2IqA536E

— Leicester Riders Foundation (@RidersBF) March 19, 2023

“Partnering with the LRF not only improved our program on court, with some of the best facilities and coaches in the country, they also offered many opportunities to improve players’ employability and comradery, with access to games and bespoke events. We look forward to growing with the Foundation.” – Alejandro Medina, Chairman of University of Leicester Basketball Society. 

“One of the key motivators for the Foundation is to provide as many opportunities as possible to people within Leicester and Leicestershire!” – Greg Ellis, Community and Education Officer. 

Tyra Atlee Kamusasa was Assistant Coach of the De Montfort University Women’s First Team last season and in June this year joined us as a full time Community Coach at the Leicester Riders Foundation.  

“Joining Coach Ricky in coaching the DMU Womens team was a great opportunity for me, I really wanted to get involved in basketball whilst at University after moving over from Sweden. The partnership between the University and LRF allowed me to gain the coaching experience I needed to transition into becoming a full time community Coach for the Foundation.” – Tyra Atlee Kamusasa, Leicester Riders Foundation Community Coach and De Montfort University’s Women’s Assistant Coach. 

Moving forward, Leicester Riders Foundation aims to further progress both relationships to provide student athletes with the facilities and coaching in order for them to continue to progress in basketball. This partnership has been essential in enabling the Leicester Riders Foundation to reach an otherwise complex age group to engage with. 

Over the past year the Leicester Riders Foundation have collaborated with North Warwickshire & South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) to provide a number of opportunities for students within the Foundation Studies department including basketball sessions, a podcast workshop and an NCS programme.

Initially the partnership started when we delivered the Mencap Around The World project at the college in 2021. The project involved 10 weeks sessions aimed at developing the young people’s teamwork and communication through the sport of basketball.

“It was great to learn basketball skills this year and helping me get fitter. It was fun to record a podcast and be interviewed, it’s something I’d like to try again in the future maybe” – George, Lifeworks Student.

“I really enjoyed all of the basketball sessions and learning how to shoot. Greg took lots of time to show us how it all works, and it was great to play some games at the end. I also really enjoyed being on a podcast and talking about things I’m interested in, really helped us.” – Charlotte, Lifeworks Student. 

In September 2022 we welcomed Reece, a supported intern from NWSLC to the Foundation for a 9 month internship. Throughout his internship Reece was able to experience working in a number of new environments such as our office, schools and out in the community. Reece has also built up new relationships with our staff, players and other members of the community which has helped him to develop key skills which he will be able to transfer into further employment. During his time with the Leicester Riders Foundation Reece became a valued member of our staff team, joining the rest of our staff in taking part in our Corporate Summer League in June which was his first experience of playing competitive basketball.

As well as delivering our basketball sessions and hosting a supportive intern from NWSLC we also hosted a podcast workshop for the students. Greg Ellis the Foundation’s Education & Community Officer hosts the Leicester Riders’ Podcast, Along For The Ride and spent a morning at the college in April passing on his knowledge to the students. As well as learning about recording a podcast the workshop brought the students out of their comfort zone and allowed them to work on their confidence and public speaking.

“The partnership with Leicester Riders has enabled our students to re-engage with sport in a supportive environment, learning a new sport in basketball and allowing them the space to get active, whilst also developing vital teamwork and leadership skills. It’s also been a great experience for them to record a podcast with Greg Ellis and develop new skills alongside developing in confidence. All of these experiences have taken their student experience to the next level.” – Rhien Shephard, Lifeworks Lecturer NWSLC.

On top of the Mencap Around the World Project and Podcast workshop we have also delivered a bespoke NCS programme for the students. The project has helped offer students access to a number of activities that they otherwise wouldn’t have exposure to. 

Over the course of the programme the students have taken part in activities such as abseiling, archery, rifle shooting and fencing and they also helped picking apples and planting onions at an allotment in Leicester. 

All students were given individual targets, though the NCS programme to develop teamwork amongst the group, as well as aiming to help their mental health and confidence, and giving them a sense of achievement. 

We look forward to work with NWSLC next academic year and continuing to provide unique learning experiences for their students.

An Education project that has been particularly successful over the past season is our Ambassador Assemblies. Ambassador Assemblies is a project funded by Sport England in partnership with the British Basketball League, that allows us to take both our men’s and women’s professional players into schools to deliver to assemblies on their journeys to where they are today, and the importance of sport and education, since all the players are university graduates. Due to the programme being funded by Sport England, it is free for the schools to book and is a great opportunity to get their students to engage with our players.

In each assembly the player talks about their path to professional basketball as well as key characteristics such as respect, resilience and teamwork that can be applied to life both on and off the court and also in school. So far this season we have delivered 87 Ambassador Assemblies to 10,216 school children. 

🙌 Another fantastic Ambassador Assembly this morning at @HinckleySchool with @BigggMo.

We're still taking Ambassador Assembly bookings, email [email protected] for more information. pic.twitter.com/f3EChC82IM

— Leicester Riders Foundation (@RidersBF) January 11, 2023

Our ambassador assemblies are free of charge so also provide an excellent way to get into schools to showcase what the Leicester Riders Foundation has to offer in schools. The assemblies have led to us providing in school coaching in 11 schools that we did not previously engage with.

“It was really interesting to hear about the pathway to becoming a professional basketball player during our Ambassador Assembly with the Leicester Riders Foundation. The children were really engaged and had great questions about Mo’s experience. – Maxine Michalowski, Headteacher at Heather Primary School.

For more information on our school packages or to book an Ambassador Assembly for your school email [email protected].

Over the coming months, the Leicester Riders Foundation will lead a number of Premier League Kicks sessions in partnership with Leicester City Football Club.

The free basketball sessions will be held for young people coming from underprivileged areas, and people who may not have this kind of opportunity elsewhere.

The Foundation will host four sessions, with the aim of getting more young people engaged in basketball. The coaches will be aiming at getting everyone involved and having fun, and trying to build a community feel amongst the group.

Attendees will be taught by the foundation’s basketball coaches, who will teach basic skills, leading into some gameplay.

The sessions are part of the Foundation’s aims to promote basketball to people across Leicester and Leicestershire, regardless of prior experience.

You can now book on our February Half Term Camp!

The camp takes place between the 14th and 17th of February, and is held from 10pm to 4pm.

The camp is held at the Morningside Arena, and is open to anyone between the ages of 8 and 16, regardless of basketball experience and ability.

The cost is £20 per day, and there is a reduction to £65 for the full four days.

Alex, who has been at the academy since 2016, has left the Leicester Riders to move to America, where he will continue his basketball journey.

Alex has shown great commitment in his time with the Riders, playing for our U12 and U14 teams, as well as participating in our community sessions. He has always given 100% effort, and both coaches and players have voiced how Alex made a real impact both on and off the court.

He will now continue his basketball journey in America, and although he will be greatly missed by everyone within the Riders Family, we wish him nothing but success in with his future both on and off the court in America.

Coach Dom said: “Having coached Alex over the past four years it has been great to watch him develop not only as a basketball player but also as a person. Alex has been a significant contributor on every team at various age groups. He was in the first team I coached, and althoughwe are sad to see him leave the club, we are excited for the adventure that Alex and his family are embarking on moving to the USA. We wish Alex and his family the best of luck.”

Leicester Riders Foundation have led a session for the REMIT group as part of the United Leicester partnership.

The session, aimed at improving wellbeing, saw the group take a walk Abby Park, alongside Riders coaches Dom and Aaran, before stopping for refreshments. 

The session, which will now be held weekly, is aimed at helping the attendees to relax, get to know one-another, make the most of the fresh air, and feel free to talk about any issues they may be facing. In future the sessions may be paired with a sports session after.

The activity is part of the Leicester Riders Foundation’s work within the United Leicester Partnership, part of which is to provide weekly activities to help support adults with their mental and physical wellbeing.

Leicester Riders 80 – Milton Keynes 54

Leicester Riders U14 Girls are flying high in their league this season. Having finally been able to enter into their first competitive season, all their hard work and enthusiasm over the last few years is truly reaping its rewards. Sunday saw them take on Milton Keynes Basketball Club who are also new to Basketball England National League and were also 4 & 0 for the season so far.

The top of the league clash provided a scintillating first quarter where the lead swapped hands numerous times, but ended 18 -14 to the Riders. Coach Barwell kept his calm and rotated his players which made the difference as they went in 38 – 22 at the half. The game was competitive all the way through but the strength in depth of Riders squad proved to be a decisive factor with Milton Keynes tiring with only having eight players.

Coach Barwell had this to say:
“Today’s game felt like the culmination of three years of hard work for a group who have had their first season cancelled not once but twice. When we set up the girls’ programme in 2019, the dream was just to one day be able to compete in the NBL and the results so far in our debut season are beyond
anything that we could have imagined.

“I’m lucky to have a squad with such depth of talent as we’ve already had 18 different girls compete for us in the league this year. You could see that strength in depth was the key difference betweenthe teams today and I’m extremely proud of the bench for coming in and executing just as well as
our starters did. Every game, those players not selected have still been travelling to support their teammates and the support of parents and family members has been incredible too. I feel really fortunate to coach this team and we’ll be working hard to continue the great progress that we’ve made so far.“

The Leicester Riders Foundation has launched a Give To Local Hardship fundraiser in an effort to raise £4,000 to increase its reach in promoting basketball in the community. 

The aim is to raise money that can help us to support families who have been hit hard by the pandemic and break down barriers to get more people into basketball. 

Currently, the Foundation holds sessions for anyone between the ages of 4 and 17 and has links to a number of schools throughout Leicester and Leicestershire. 

The Foundation also works to bring the game to those who may not have access to it otherwise, such as working with Menphys, a charity for young people who suffer from learning difficulties. 

We have also worked with Leicester City Council, as part of their Adult skills and learning programme, which supports adults suffering from severe mental health difficulties.

Those groups, as with all community sessions held by the Riders Foundation, are totally inclusive, and cater to people regardless of age, gender, or basketball ability. 

Our aim now is to increase our reach into the community and open the game up to even more people who may not have experienced basketball before, and may not have had too many opportunities to get involved in sport in general. 

Tracey Stephenson, whose daughter Ruby is a member of the Under 14s girls’ side, and whose business Dura Sport sponsor the kit, said: “She already loved playing basketball and was successful in gaining a place in the Leicester Riders Girls Academy in 2019. Basketball has been a huge part of our lives ever since.

“It quickly became apparent to us what fantastic work the Leicester Riders Foundation does in the local community. The sessions, camps and events that the Foundation provides are fantastic and so important for both physical and mental health.

“We love being part of the Riders family and the work that the Leicester Riders Foundation does is invaluable. The Give to Local scheme is the perfect opportunity for businesses to support the charity arm of their local club in a way that’s both affordable and beneficial and with donors benefiting from some great discounts and offers.”

All of the Riders Foundation sessions are led by our expert Community Coaches, all of whom are passionate about their work, and getting people involved in sport.

One of these is Dominic McDonaugh, who is also a Leicester Riders Foundation Project Officer, and the Head Coach of the Under 16 side. He said: “As a community coach the junior academy is a great tool to help to inspire young people to become more involved with the club and to continue to encourage their basketball development. By utilising our community arena sessions, we have a stepping stone pathway that young people interested in basketball can follow.

“However, even though we have seen great growth we are still limited in our capacity and resource and cannot provide all the basketball provisions for the community that we would like. However, through the support from local donors and businesses facilitated by Give to Local, we are extremely excited to be able to enhance our current provisions and expand them further into areas of the community where we are currently less active.”

If you are a business, you can sponsor us from as little as £10 a month. This will also allow you to offer discounts to customers for your own business, and help you attract customers. 

Individuals can support us for as little as £3, either as a one-off payment, or as a monthly donation. 

You can donate by clicking here!

Thank you for all your support!

To learn more about our ‘Give to Local’ fundraiser, you can email [email protected]

On Monday, the Foundation hosted the Primary Schools Tournament at the Morningside Arena. 

The event was held for Year 5 and 6 students at Taylor Road, Richard Hill, St Mary’s, Fosse Mead and Hope Hamilton School, who bought two sides, all schools across Leicester. 

The tournament was played in a round robin format, with all teams coming up against each other once, with the team with the most points at the end of the day taking the title.

All teams gave their all throughout the day, with the red team from Hamilton Hope emerging victorious, closely followed by those from Taylor Road.

Jim Smith, a teacher from Richard Hill, said: “It’s a great opportunity for all of them. Obviously, we didn’t get to do this sort of thing last year, but it’s good to get back out, especially at such a great venue.

“None of them have actually played basketball competitively before, so it’s good to see them enjoying it and having smiles on their faces.”

Now that everything is back up and running after lockdown, this is an event that we hope to hold at the Morningside Arena every year, continuing to promote basketball to young people across Leicestershire.

On Friday night 27 volunteers on the NCS Changemakers programme attended the Riders game against Glasgow Rocks to raise money for Help the Homeless.

They collected £107 for Help the Homeless, before volunteering at the match and watching the Riders defeat the Rocks in an entertaining match at the Morningside Arena.

Leading the NCS sessions is part of the Riders Foundation’s wider aim to promote and deliver programmes that promote health and wellbeing, and develop and inspire volunteers. 

To get involved, or find out more about our NCS programmes, email [email protected]

This week, Leicester Riders Foundation have been leading an NCS session for special educational needs students from college. 

The course, which is part of the Foundation’s community action group, has helped offer students access to a number of activities that they otherwise wouldn’t have exposure to.

Over the course of last fortnight, the students, from the Foundation Studies group at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, have taken part in activities such as abseiling, archery, rifle shooting and fencing.

On Wednesday and Thursday, they were at an allotment in Leicester, picking apples and planting onions.

All students have individual targets, though the NCS programme helps to develop teamwork amongst the group, as well as aiming to help their mental health and confidence, and giving them a sense of achievement.

NCS Team Leader Richard Jones said: “The most rewarding part about it is seeing that the students can achieve anything they put their mind to, and seeing them express themselves, and bringing out their potential.

“They are a really great group, they get stuck in, and they really seem to be enjoying themselves.”

Taking NCS sessions is part of the Foundation’s targets to work within the local community and deliver programmes that promote health and wellbeing.

To get involved, or find out more about our NCS programmes, email [email protected]

On Friday evening, Leicester Riders Foundation led a coaching session for Leicestershire charity Menphys.

The session was part of a weekly one led by the Riders Foundation, for people between the ages of 12 and 25 with learning difficulties. This week, there were eight young people there learning the basics of basketball.

The group, hosted at The Menphys Hub in Leicester, allows the participants to get involved in group activity based around sport.

The course is inclusive to anyone in that age group, regardless of basketball ability, or having any experience of playing sport. The hope is to get them into sport and engaging in enjoyable exercise and returning week-on-week.

The interaction and teamwork is aimed at helping bring them out of their shells, and currently the majority of participants are returning each week.

Riders Foundation coach Dominic McDonaugh said: “They get an outlet that’s enjoyable, that gives them the opportunity to do something different, and give them a provision to something they don’t usually get. 

“I enjoy the session, I find it rewarding and hopefully they all enjoy it.”

The course is part of the Leicester Riders Foundation’s aims to promote and engage through basketball across Leicestershire.

To find out more about the Leicester Riders Foundation’s inclusion projects, email [email protected]

On Thursday, two coaches from the Riders Foundation led a coaching session for adults on Leicester City Council’s Adult skills and learning programme.

The 12-week course is for adults on the REMIT programme- a community education programme for adults with mental health difficulties. The course allows the adults to work on a range of skills across a number of sports. 

The course offers a safe space for those suffering from mental health difficulties, many of whom have also struggled with the isolation and loneliness bought on by lockdown, while others have to deal with being full-time carers as well. 

The course is inclusive for all, regardless of age and background, with the ages ranging from people in their 20s, to those in their 70s. The sessions are focussed on getting them to enjoy sport, exercising, communicating and interacting with others. 

On Thursday, they were working on various skills in basketball, including passing, dribbling and shooting. The course accommodates for those with all level of skills, including those who have never played basketball, or any form of sport before. 

The session also features parts of competition, keeping everyone engaged and involved in what is going on. 

The course is part of the Leicester Riders Foundation’s aim to offer opportunities to all, and promote and deliver sustainable programmes that promote health and well-being. 

To find out more about the Leicester Riders Foundation’s inclusion projects, email [email protected]

On Friday night, the Leicester Riders Foundation held an event for teachers prior to the Riders’ fixture against Cheshire Phoenix.

The event was attended by 40 teachers from schools, colleges and community organisations. It was an opportunity to network, and learn about the work done by the Riders Foundation, and how they could get involved.

The teachers then stayed on to watch the Riders defeat the Phoenix 94-72 in a thrilling game in the BBL Championship. 

Jo Bradley, who attended the event, said: “Thank you so much for a great teacher event and looking after us. Found out so much about the amazing schools and community work that Leicester Riders Foundation are doing.”

The Riders Foundation aims to promote basketball across Leicestershire, and through working in schools, we aim to reach as many young people as possible. 

To learn more about our work in schools, contact [email protected]