Bandon Ravens Basketball Club is gearing up for its second season on the hard courts of Cork – but the club is in need of new coaches to keep this show on the road.
BANDON Ravens Basketball Club is gearing up for its second season on the hard courts of Cork – but the club is in need of new coaches to keep this show on the road.
The girls’ basketball club was set up last year and is now entering its second season.
It has three girls’ teams – U14, U16 and U18 – that operate in the B leagues. They train at the Convent in Bandon and play home matches at the Grammar School, and there’s lots of excitement and enthusiasm ahead of the new season.
Registration was held on Monday night and as the new campaign draws closer, the need for coaches grows, as chairperson Emily Fitzgerald explains.
‘Ideally we would have two coaches per team so if one coach is missing, the other steps in,’ she explains.
‘We have two coaches for the U14 team, two of our U16 coaches can’t commit fully this season due to work commitments and our U18 coach is expecting later this year, so we have three coaches at the moment and ideally we need six.’
The call is being put out to anyone who feels they can help the club this season as it works hard to give local girls the opportunity to play basketball outside of school.
‘One of our coaches last year never played basketball and he is back coaching again this season.
It would be great to find people that are interested to help the team, even if it’s just for this year,’ Fitzgerald says.
‘As first years go, the girls really enjoyed it last season. We were up against teams from the city who have been training girls since they were six so it was tough in that sense, but it was great to get up and running.’
Plans for an U12 girls’ team have been put on hold for the time being, as the Bandon Ravens look to spread their wings and fly.
Girls from Bandon and Clonakilty are involved and the club has a big catchment area with the nearest clubs to the west in Skibbereen and Bantry, and on the other side, Ballincollig and Kinsale.
‘We are all working hard to keep the club going, it’s a great outlet for teenage girls and keeps them involved in sport, and everyone is having fun and exercise at the same time,’ chairperson Fitzgerald says.
If you are interested in getting involved in coaching with Bandon Ravens Basketball Club or know someone who is, then contact chairperson Emily Fitzgerald (087-9705050) or anyone else involved in the club, or check out the club’s Facebook page (Bandon Girls’ Basketball Club).
