Basketball
Everton FC to Launch Basketball Team
14 September 2007
Everton Football Club has teamed up with the Toxteth Tigers to form a professional basketball team that will compete in the British Basketball League for the 2007- 08 season.
This is the first time the city of Liverpool has hosted the sport at this level - the equivalent to football's Premier League - and Head Coach Henry Mooney can't wait to get started.
Mooney has recently returned from the USA, where he has been recruiting players, and he said: "We are putting a team together that will be a combination of supremely talented local players and well known internationals that have competed at the highest levels. It's a hugely exciting concept and we are hoping that the people of Liverpool get right behind us."
As well as competing in the British Basketball League, Everton Tigers will also have exceptionally strong community links within the Merseyside area.
Chair of the Tigers, Gary Townsend, explained: "It is our intention to create the largest youth engagement programme in the UK. Through basketball we want to improve playing standards and get more people actively involved. Experience has shown that sport has a positive impact on young people and improves education and health whilst helping tackle anti-social behaviour and crime."
The Tigers will play their home fixtures at the Greenbank Sports Academy, Liverpool, on Friday evenings at 8.00pm. Greenbank is one of the best sports venues of its type in the North of England and has hosted international events in boxing, table tennis and handball.
New signing, American College star, Tony Robertson said: "I'm excited to be part of this Everton revolution. I know it's the first year they've had a team and we're going to be competitive and I think we are going to suprise a few teams this season.
"Coach Henry Mooney was a big part of me coming over here. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have known anything about the Everton Tigers. We did some work together this summer at a basketball camp in the states and he told me about it."
» top | more articles | 
| 
| shown 106 times
