Ballina 'excited' to get National League inaugural season started

​​Miles is a rather late convert to the game. “I would have started playing semi-professional soccer earlier. In Scotland, basketball is not very big. So I started playing semi-professional soccer with an academy and then we had someone come in and tell us that the 1% of the 1% make it professionally. And I went, oh, I'd quite like to be a professional athlete. This isn't going to work for me,” Felletti laughs.

Luckily, he was spotted by the Glasgow Rocks, now Caledonia Gladiators, and he started playing basketball at the age of 14. Many skills were transferable and it took off for him from there.

“I'm really excited to be here,” Felletti said, speaking to The Mayo News at a media event: “Matthew McHale, who I played with in Tipperary, texted me this summer, saying 'Ballina are coming back to National league, would you consider coming up? 'And I said, yes, why not.”

It must have helped Felletti in his decision making process, that Ballina have been steadily building their structures. There is a crop of experienced players like Ronan McGarrity and Ronan O'Malley, but crucially there is a core of exciting young talent, that knows how to be successful. Mark Cunningham is one them. He is only 20 years old and was appointed captain for Ballina's inaugural season in the new National League two.

“It's great, I'm absolutely delighted. I've wanted to be playing at this level and higher with the club since I've been playing, since I was 7 or 8 years old when I started,” Cunningham said, full of excitement: “And then when we started up the senior team four years ago, the aim was always in some shape or form to get up to this level, and now that we're here, pushing as hard as we can to keep going up. Obviously, it's one game at a time, but hopefully in the coming years, we keep going and getting better, move up the ranks.”

Cunningham himself has improved year on year. He was an instrumental part of the national title winning St Muredach's school team that conquered Ireland in 2024 and 2025.

“We'd travel up to Tallaght (The National Basketball Arena) every few weeks. No-one knew us, no-one had a clue who we were. We were going up, just beating teams, and it was great for camp. We had the whole school up a couple of times, homecoming as well. It was so good to see it for something different to Gaelic or rugby.”

And Cunningham will embark on the new adventure together with former team mates from St Muredach's, for example Brian Donoghue, Conor and Darragh Burke or Cian Morrison. There is plenty of young talent that has already shown last year that they can ball at senior level.

They will have to lift their efforts to another level now though to prepare for the National League Two, as the new head coach only knows too well.

Paul Barrett has taken over the reins from Derek Cunningham, who stays on assistant coach of the senior team. Barrett was born in Ballina, but grew up in Boston. Came back in his early twenties to play for Ballina on the national stage.

After a few years coaching the Ballina Stephenites football team, Barrett is now responsible for a senior basketball team.

“It's my first time in the National League coaching, even though we played Super League. But as I said to the lads, they're learning from their mistakes. I'm hoping to learn from my mistakes. I want them to hold me accountable just like I'm holding them accountable and challenge me, and they are. It's a healthy environment.”

Barrett says he enjoys seeing the lads grow. He explains, how they have developed in the seven weeks they've been training together. The intensity at training is huge.

But for the players it will also be about managing their own expectations as the new league will definitely not be a place to slack off even one second when you're on the court.

“You're starting to see lads realise, 'okay, we're going to have two pros here now. My minutes are not going to be what they used to be like'. So they're getting very competitive. And by being that competitive, it's pushing everybody on to be a better player and a better teammate, and obviously a better team than in the end,” Barrett explains, adding with a smile: “If they are taking breaks in a game, they'll be sitting beside me. This is where we're saying, if you're in for four minutes, you are busting your ass for four minutes, next guy in.”

There is certainly a new mentality needed, for a team that's now called Team Bar Square Ballina, named after their new main sponsor. It's a challenge for Ballina to compete in the new league, as well as fielding a team in the U-20 and U-18 National League. Club chairperson Kevin McHale points out the overall development of the club: “We have fourteen different teams. We've signed a deal with Scoil Pádraig Ballina for access to the gym there. We feel like that's a game changer for us. It means we have six hours a day, do not have to wrestle with anyone. Every age group has 3 hours of training.”

Ballina have 400 underage members, 60 senior members. McHale admits it takes a lot to organise all that. Looking ahead at the new season, McHale is excited:

“The numbers are off the charts. I'm really exited about the players because I trained the U-18 last week, filled in, and left thinking, wow, these lads are serious. We have come on a long way from when I started five years ago. It's all about giving kids a pathway to the National League.”

Regarding the head coach, McHale is happy to have Paul Barrett on board. “I’ve known Paul since he came home. I remember the day me and my brother, together with Liam McHale, we brought Paul down to Enniscrone. Like a wintery day, we got into the water but Paul wouldn’t. And we were slagging him off for that.”

But the ‘American’ as they called him back then 25 years ago, has stayed on and will lead Team Bar Square now into their maiden season in National League Two. Led by their 20-year-old captain Mark Cunningham, and with probably two professional players on the court as well. Ballina have two slots for a pro, and they are looking to find a second one next to Miles Felletti, to drive on the team.

Their first game will be on Saturday, October 3, against Dublin Raiders in the National Cup. Tip-off is at 7pm in the Ballina Sports Complex.