Here at Kitlocker.com we are incredibly excited and proud to be kitting out the GB Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball teams ahead of the World Championships. The tournament takes place 16th to 26th of August in Hamburg, and the players will be heading there with an all new adidas kit.
The squads have had the opportunity to base themselves at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) in Sheffield for the last year. The state of the art facilities at EIS, which men’s centre Lee Manning describes as “out of this world”, have given them the perfect preparation for the big tournament. The players have been able to focus fully towards Hamburg with everything they need available to them whenever they need it. Having one training base has also helped build a sense of togetherness and camaraderie across both the men’s and women’s teams.
Confidence in both camps is high and quite rightly so. The men’s side are unbeaten in the run up to the tournament, which has included The Continental Clash at EIS, as well as a friendly tournament over in Poland. GB’s women are going to Hamburg off the back of their highest ever ranking of 4th at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, where the men picked up bronze. Forward Martin Edwards certainly has his sights set high- “hopefully we’ll get on that podium with a gold round our necks”. The men are looking to win their first world title since the inaugural competition all the way back in 1973.
When discussing the three way partnership between Kitlocker.com, BWB and adidas, men’s forward Terry Bywater stated that “I’ve been involved in wheelchair basketball for 20 years and it’s great to see the sport moving forward”. Meanwhile, women’s point guard Helen Freeman said that “the kit is so comfortable and looks great. We’ve never had a kit as good!” Ben Dixon of Kitlocker.com is also very excited to be working with BWB – “It’s a pleasure for Kitlocker to be involved in the kit launch. The kit was very well received and I can’t wait to see the footage from Worlds. All the best to both teams from everyone at Kitlocker!”
Check out the video below to see footage from the launch as well as interviews with some of the stars of both teams.
Follow the guys on twitter! @helen_freeman @lee_manning @martye26 @terrybywater07
Get Involved in Wheelchair Basketball!
Wheelchair Basketball is one of the largest and fastest growing Paralympic sports. The sport embraces a wide range of disabilities across all ages and able bodied participants are also more than welcome. To find out more about how and where you can get involved visit gbwba.org.uk
You can follow both teams’ progress in Hamburg via the British Wheelchair Basketball website as well as their twitter account @BritWheelBBall
Already involved in Wheelchair Basketball? BWB are looking for a new chair of their board. This is an incredible opportunity for an individual who can bring their drive and passion to successfully steer the organisation as they work to deliver their ambitious strategic vision through to Tokyo 2020 and beyond. Click here to find out more about this exciting opportunity. Applications close on the 24th of September 2018.