Fareham Falcons Basketball

A very proud moment! Her World Her Rules- Welcome to MY Play Ground

🏀 OPEN NATIONAL LEAGUE TRIALS – DEVELOPMENT PLAYERS & EXTERNAL PLAYERS ONLY (2ND MAY)

Hi all,

We’re now opening up the first stage of National League trials for the 2026/27 season.

📅 Date: Saturday 2nd May
📍 Venue: Deer Park Secondary School
⏰ Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm (age groups scheduled throughout the day)

🔴 WHO IS THIS FOR?

This session is for:

👉 Development club players (Outlet / Warriors pathway)
👉 External players from other clubs

It is NOT for existing National League players
(U16s & U18s already in the programme do not need to attend)

🏀 AGE GROUPS

We are currently looking at:

🔸 U14s (Girls & Boys)

Players going into Year 8 or Year 9 in September

🔸 U16 Boys or U18s Mens

Players going into Year 10 or Year 11, or leaving secondary school and would be in year 12 or 13

Spots are limited as we already have a strong returning group

⚠️ IMPORTANT – COMMITMENT

National League is a big step up and requires:

Training 2x per week

Games every weekend (home & away)

Travel across the South of England

A 6-month season commitment

Financial commitment for the season, Which will be close to £80 per month

👉 It is very different from local league basketball and not for everyone.

🔍 SELECTION PROCESS

All players must complete the Show of Interest form

Applications will be reviewed before invitations

Some players may be advised to continue in development for now

👉 This is about placing players in the right environment for their development

💡 FINAL NOTE

We know National League isn’t for everyone — and that’s completely fine.

If you feel you have:
✔ The right attitude
✔ The commitment
✔ The desire to compete at a higher level

Then this is your opportunity to step forward.

🔗 NEXT STEP

👉 Please complete the form via the link before attending

https://club.spond.com/landing/courses/whiteleywbasket/8701E2BEA41648E8AB3BDA5EE1400D63

[email protected] for more info

Any questions, please speak to your coach 👍

Whiteley Warriors Basketball 🏀

We're looking for new players for the new season.

Please scan for me details

Let's go! Season 26/27 registrations coming soon!

Local Businesses – Could Basketball Work for Your Brand in 2026/27? 🏀

If you’re a local business owner, here’s a genuine question worth asking:

Where does your brand actually get seen, in real life, by real people? And do your current marketing adverts make you on going trusted revenue?

Basketball is one of the fastest growing yet most underfunded sports in the UK, and across our network we now work with:

2 Men’s teams - Solent Area Basketball Association Div 2 champions and Sophie's Legacy Cup holders
2 x Junior teams competing in Basketball England
National Basketball League
19 Junior teams - 3 x SABA Junior CVL U12s Champions
5 teams competing in the Grassroots Basketball CIC Dev League including an all girls team.
Development clubs across Hampshire inc Gosport Gunners Basketball Club, Fareham Falcons Basketball, Boorley Green Bucks, New Forest Nova's Basketball, Whiteley Warriors Basketball CIC and Outlet Basketball Club
Lil Dunkers (toddlers)
Schools programmes & holiday camps
That’s hundreds of families every single week, across multiple towns, venues and age groups.

But here’s what most people don’t realise…
We’re not just a club – we’re a moving media platform.

We operate a branded minibus that parks outside:

Schools
Leisure centres
Community venues
7 days a week, across four boroughs:
Fareham
Gosport
Eastleigh
New Forest
That’s a rolling billboard seen by thousands of parents, students and local residents every month.

On top of that:
We work directly with multiple schools, leisure centres and local councils
We regularly feature in Basketball England news (national audience)

Our teams feature in local league finals, which were live streamed last season on Basketball England’s YouTube channel.

This means your business can get:

Physical visibility (kits, banners, minibus, venues)
Digital visibility (socials, livestreams, national news)
Community trust (schools + families)
All in one partnership.

Sponsorship Options Available

We offer flexible packages from:
£50 community supporter
Up to full kit sponsorship
Including:
Logos on kits & warm-ups
Minibus branding
Banners at venues
Social media features
Website placement
Event & livestream exposure

Most sponsors say the same thing:

“I didn’t realise how many different ways this could work.”
The Real Question for Businesses

Instead of asking:

“Can I afford sponsorship?”

The better question is:

“Would this get me more visibility than another online advert?”
Because unlike digital ads:

We don’t disappear after 7 days

We build brand recognition all year
We’re seen by the same families repeatedly (trust + familiarity)
If You’re Even Slightly Curious…

Ask yourself:

Could my business benefit from being visible in my own town?
Could I sponsor a team where my customers’ kids actually play?
Could this be marketing and community impact at the same time?
If the answer might be yes, let’s talk.

Whiteley Warriors (National League):
📧 [email protected]

Outlet Basketball (Development & Community):
📧 [email protected]

No pressure. No hard sell.

Just a conversation about what could work for your business.
Being seen every week across schools, leisure centres, livestreams and a branded minibus across: Fareham | Gosport | Eastleigh | New Forest?

We offer sponsorship for 2026/27 from £50 to full kit sponsorship, across: Whiteley Warriors (National League), junior teams, schools & community programmes.
If you’re curious, just ask for the options:

📧 [email protected] (National League)
📧 [email protected] (Local League)

Sometimes the best marketing isn’t louder.
It’s more local, more visible, and more trusted.

We're looking for more U14s to come in and join our growing community of Basketball players..

Be part of the Outlet Basketball Club group of clubs, which all started with Whiteley Warriors Basketball CIC

If you would like to join us at Porchester Community School weekly, and start playing in the Local Grassroots Basketball CIC Development League, please get in touch with Gareth Birkett on [email protected]

First session free
Thursdays from 6pm
All abilities welcome

Entry level basketball for development players, and parents looking to learn more about this wonderful sport.

We're looking for more U14s to come in and join our growing community of Basketball players..

If you would like to join us at Porchester Community School weekly, and start playing in the Grassroots Basketball CIC Development League, please get in touch with Gareth Birkett on [email protected]

First session free
Thursdays from 6pm
All abilities welcome
Entry level basketball

Basketball England 2025 Awards – Nomination Window Closes this Friday!

Please, please vote for us 🙏 ❤️ Every vote counts and brings us closer to taking the next leap to more opportunities for more children to play, and adults to come back into the sport.

https://basketballengland.wufoo.com/forms/z1b1ge0j1nllowe/

Here's what you are voting for in the South Region...

The following email can be used

email [email protected] or [email protected]

Community Club of the Year - We would love this 😀 ❤️

Your club and team coach of the year

Refs and table officials

Volunteer of the year (who's yours?)

Welfare Officer of the Year

Children's Coach of the year (Gareth has picked this up 2 years running)

Community program of the year - Outlet Basketball

Slam Jam provider - Whiteley Warriors Basketball CIC

Local League Provider - Grassroots Basketball CIC please 🙏 Vote
we have 140 kids playing in the very first year!!

❤️ Thank You for an Incredible 2025 – And Here’s What It’s All Been About 🖤

As we close out 2025, we want to say a huge thank you to every player, parent, coach, referee, table official, volunteer, supporter, and follower across Whiteley Warriors Basketball CIC, Outlet Basketball Club, and Grassroots Basketball.

This year has been about far more than results.

It’s been about access, opportunity, inclusion, and letting kids play.

📈 2025 – A Year of Growth & Milestones
🏀 362 active playing members across all clubs
🚀 Warriors and Outlet tripled in size
🏟️ Grown from 1 club to 5 clubs
👨‍👨‍👦 2 men’s teams now competing
🏆 5 development clubs with 2 x teams each at U12s and U14s, taking us to a total of 20 teams in total!
🏀 2 SABA junior league teams
🔴 2 National League teams
🧑‍ 2 adult SABA teams
🏫 Worked with 5 local schools, strengthening the schools-to-clubs pathway

Additional Academy set up at Eastleigh for Warriors Development at U10s - U16s

As a Community Interest Club, Whiteley Warriors continues to deliver inclusive, high-quality basketball opportunities while remaining proudly affiliated with Basketball England and local leagues.

🌱 Grassroots Ethos – “Just Let the Kids Play”
The core ethos behind our Grassroots Basketball Development League in 2025 was simple:

Remove barriers and let children play basketball, and get more parents involved with the sport.

Parents love to see their children playing and competing, and growing in confidence.

Local league SABA Junior CVL

With changes to traditional league structures this year — including home and away fixtures, increased venue costs, and the ongoing challenge of sourcing referees and table officials — many clubs simply didn’t have the capacity to offer regular competitive games.

This has been a challenge across all levels, including National League. So instead of letting that limit participation, we created something different. Our Grassroots Basketball CIC league is built around:

League-style competition with rules, structure, and purpose
More relaxed regulations, focused on development not pressure
Games delivered within existing training sessions, reducing cost and travel.

A format that allows teams to move between venues and clubs, keeping basketball accessible

They aren’t just “friendlies”, but they aren’t high-pressure fixtures either — they’re development games with meaning, AND an intro to basketball 🏀

🌍 Basketball for Any Age, Any Ability
When Gareth set up the development clubs, the vision was clear:
2025 had to be a year for grassroots basketball.

That means:

Children who have never played before getting meaningful game time

Players of all abilities learning and developing together
Young people with additional support needs fully included within sessions — not separated into specific groups, but welcomed as part of the team

Sessions adapted and tailored so every child feels safe, supported, and valued.

This inclusive approach has been one of the strongest parts of our programme this year.

🧒 A Complete Pathway – From 18 Months to Men’s Teams
In 2025, we genuinely covered every age group, creating a joined-up pathway:

👶 Lil Dunkers – parent & toddler basketball for 18 months to 4 years, building confidence, movement, coordination, and a love for sport

🏫 Little Warriors – Reception & Year 1 introduction to basketball
🏀 U8s, U10s, U12s, U14s, U16s, U18s – development, local league, and National League pathways

👨‍👨‍👦 Men’s teams – supporting adult basketball and transition beyond junior NL play

From first bounce to competitive basketball, we’ve had something for everyone this year.

🔄 Multi-Club, Multi-Level Development, and longevity for the sport in and around South Hampshire.

Another strength of the grassroots model has been flexibility:
Players don’t have to travel long distances just to access training
Sessions can be multi-club, bringing different groups together
Some players represent Warriors in SABA leagues while also playing in the development league, giving them more basketball, not more pressure

Crucially, this allows:

More experienced players to guide and support newer players
Ability groups to naturally rise together
A stronger learning environment where everyone benefits
It’s a system designed to grow the sport, not restrict it.

👏 Coaches, Officials & Volunteers

None of this works without people:

👕 20 coaches across the pathway

⏱️ A growing group of new referees and table officials, including junior referees, and senior TOs returning to the sport.

🙌 Dedicated team managers and parent helpers, especially supporting National League

To everyone who stepped forward this year — thank you.

🏆 On-Court Success

🏆 Men’s team winners of the Sophie’s Legacy Cup and Division 2 League Champions
Women's 2nd in the league and runners up in the finals
🥇 U12s league champions for the third consecutive season
🏅 Gareth Birkett recognised again as Children’s Coach of the Year – South Region
⭐ Completion of acredited Club status, with Elite progression underway

🔮 Looking Ahead to 2026

Our ambition continues:

Expand the Grassroots Basketball Development League to U10s and U16s, reaching 250+ players

Launch a Grassroots Basketball schools league
Add Boys & Girls U14s National League teams, taking Whiteley Warriors to 4 NL teams

Grow the girls’ programme to 50 players and deliver Her Rules, Her Game on 18th April 2026

Restart a girls college / women’s team linked with Barton Peveril Sixth Form College and work with them to provide a pipeline for more officials to come through.

And finally get that funding for the Walking Basketball groups!

Add 10 more coaches to the development pipeline

❤️ Thank You

This year proved that when you remove barriers, focus on people, and truly let kids play, basketball grows.

Thank you to every family, player, volunteer, coach, official, school, and venue that made 2025 what it was.

Thank you to all the clubs and teams inc

Fareham Falcons Basketball
Gosport Gunners Basketball Club
Boorley Green Bucks
New Forest Nova's Basketball
Whiteley Warriors Basketball CIC Development teams

Thank you to Basketball England for all their supoort this year, and recognising our efforts 👌 💪 🙂 👏

Thank you to our Sponsorship Partner Nutrafituk and Welborne Garden Village.

Thank you to our kit providers All In Brand for some wonderful kits and apparel this season. The quality has been amazing!

Thank you to our Co Directors this year, Lianne Alexandra Miller Guy Wilcox Andrew John the extra support has been much appreciated 👏 💐 🥳 🙏 and this year couldn't of happened without you all.

This is more than basketball.

This is community, opportunity, and belief.

Here’s to an even bigger, brighter 2026

Gareth Birkett Co Director



https://basketballengland.co.uk/news/basketball-england-2025-awards-nomination-window-open-regional-award-evenings-planned