Ballinrobe gets its bounce back

STARS OF THE FUTURE The ‘Ballinrobe Bucks’ Under-16 basketball team which was formed earlier this year.

Mark Thornton

BASKETBALL is making a big comeback in Ballinrobe.
A new club for youth basketball has just been set up and basketball fever is building. The Ballinrobe Basketball Club aims to provide basketball for boys and girls aged 8 to 18 in a fun and inclusive environment where participation above competition is the top priority.
Plans are well advanced for registration and training schedules for mid-January next year.
There is a long and illustrious history of basketball in Ballinrobe.
Back in the 1960's and 70's basketball was being played in the old railway sheds in Station Road. Ballinrobe was once one of the biggest basketball playing regions in the West of Ireland. Many local people grew up playing and competing in the sport.
However, over time basketball went out of fashion and faded from the scene. A generation of players and coaches were lost to the game. Now, thanks to a small group of volunteers, a new club has been formed to bring youth basketball back to Ballinrobe.
There is already a team representing the town again in the Mayo league, the under 16 boys who have called themselves “The Ballinrobe Bucks”.
The idea for ‘The Bucks’ came about  when a group of boys from Ballinrobe and the surrounding areas of Kilmaine and The Neale started playing basketball for a bit of fun over the summer.
Basketball was starting to gain popularity again.
The Netflix series, the Last Dance, and the availability of NBA matches on television, were getting the interest of a new generation. During the covid summer of 2021, playing basketball outside in small groups was one of the few distractions for them. They said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we had a club in Ballinrobe?’ Taking the initiative they got to work on their parents who came together to set up a working group.
Before you could say, ‘Magic Johnson’, Ballinrobe Basketball Club was formed.  
The chairperson of the club, Mark Smith said: ‘We all thought it was a great idea and we wanted to help the boys make it happen. It's been so challenging for all young people during Covid. To have an outlet that is fun and social is so important for them.”
Coincidentally, as this was happening, another group of basketball aficionados from the area were also coming together with the idea of reforming the old club. Many of this group were previously involved with basketball in Ballinrobe as coaches or players and were looking to get youth basketball back up and running.
Mary Donnellan was part of this group and is now the vice-chairperson of the reformed club. “There is a lot of interest already and we hope to be in a position to offer training for groups of girls and boys from under-8 to under16 in the New Year,” says Mary.
Ballinrobe is fortunate to have an excellent venue for basketball.
Lakeside Sports Hall have a good size main hall with full court and practice hoops. The staff and management of the centre are fully supportive of the new club. Even in these challenging times, and within the guidelines that are in place, we hope to see their hoops getting plenty of action in 2022.
The committee are pushing on with next step for the club. There has just been a coach training day facilitated by Basketball Ireland where 22 volunteers learned the current best practice for coaching youth basketball . The enthusiasm and commitment of these volunteers will help get the club and the players up and running.
The club have had a phenomenal response to a recent survey with almost 200 youth players from the area saying they would like to join. The committee will be working hard over the next few weeks to put plans in place for January.
“On behalf of the committee I would like to thank everyone who is supporting us on our drive to bring the bounce back to Ballinrobe,” says Mark Smith. “In particular, we have received great support from Mayo Sports Partnership through the Ballinrobe Sports Hub in setting up the club and providing the funding for safeguarding training, Basketball Ireland coach training and hire of the facilities at Lakeside. We are all really looking forward to seeing the youth of Ballinrobe and the surrounding area playing basketball next year.”

Did you know?

• Basketball is the largest indoor participation sport in Ireland.
• Among the top six participation sports in Ireland.
• Number one sport for females under 16.
• Ireland’s number one indoor sport.
• Has over 200 clubs nationwide.
• Has a 50/50 split between male and female.