Basketball stars come to Essex

Our Colchester Campus is hosting the top women’s basketball stars in Britain this weekend, as the British professional league, the WBBL, starts the 2019-20 season with a tournament at the Essex Sport Arena.

All 12 teams in the league will be in action between Friday 27 September and Sunday 29 September, including the Essex Rebels, based at the University.

The weekend will also see the launch of Basketball England’s women and girls national campaign All Girls Basketball, which is aimed at inspiring more women and girls to engage in the sport at all levels. 

Basketball is the second most popular participation team sport amongst young people, and the Great Britain teams are making waves at international level, as the GB Women’s team have just returned from the European Championships having reached the semi-final and have secured a place in next year’s Olympic qualifying tournament.

The WBBL Trophy group stages will open the 2019-20 season, with teams battling for the opportunity to progress to the Trophy Final at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, in front of 7,000 spectators in March 2020. Essex Rebels will commence their campaign on Friday 27 September against last season’s finalists Durham Palatinates, with the game tipping off at 5pm.

Director of Sport at the University of Essex, Dave Parry said: “The launch of the WBBL season promises to be a very exciting weekend of basketball, featuring the top professional players in the U.K. The Essex Sport Arena is one of the finest sport venues in the country, and we’re very proud to have been able to attract an event like this to Colchester.”

Essex Rebels Head Coach, Tom Sadler, is also looking forward to the start of the new season, “our player recruitment has gone extremely well this summer, and we are aiming to be pushing for top honours this season. Playing in front of a home crowd is sure to give us a boost as we aim to get the season off to a winning start.”

The tournament will feature a full programme of entertainment including DJ ‘Big Dog Ballin’, the Essex Flames Cheerleaders, a kids zone, and appearances by the Essex rebels new mascot. Adult, children’s and family tickets are available via Eventbrite for the following matches:

Friday 27 September

• 1pm London Lions vs Nottingham Wildcats
• 3pm Oaklands Wolves vs Leicester Riders
• 5pm Essex Rebels vs Durham Palatinates
• 7pm Sevenoaks Suns vs Caledonia Pride

Saturday 28 September

• 12 noon Durham Palatinates vs Sheffield Hatters
• 3pm Caledonia Pride vs Newcastle Eagles
• 5pm Nottingham Wildcats vs Manchester Mystics
• 7pm Leicester Riders vs Cardiff Met Archers

Sunday September 29

• 12 noon – Newcastle Eagles v Sevenoaks Suns
• 2pm – Cardiff Met Archers v Oaklands Wolves
• 4pm – Manchester Mystics v BA London Lions
• 6pm – Sheffield Hatters v Essex Rebels

As well as being able to watch the games and take part in the All Girls launch, other activities, performances and competitions for all ages will also be available, including:

• Music and commentary from our in-house DJ
• The Essex Flames Cheerleaders
• Half-time competitions and guest performances
• The Essex Rebels Mascot Kids Zone.