Investing in the Future of Basketball in Harrogate
By Harrogate Marshalls
Help Us Invest in Our Harrogate Marshalls Coaches 🏀
Investing in the Future of Basketball in Harrogate
Harrogate Marshalls is a new junior basketball club created to provide opportunities for young people to play and develop within the sport locally.
As the club grows, one of our biggest priorities is developing the people who will help us deliver basketball now and in the future. We are fortunate to have young coaches and players who are already showing an interest in taking on greater responsibility within the sport and we want to invest in them.
Our aim is to create our own pathway for young coaches, referees and table officials, giving young people the opportunity to develop alongside the club while helping build a sustainable future for basketball in Harrogate.
How Our Marshalls Families Can Help
We are now looking for families within the Harrogate Marshalls community who may be able to help us connect with local businesses that would be interested in sponsoring this work.
You may know a business owner, employer, solicitor, estate agent, shop, professional service, or other local organisation that might like to support the development of young people through basketball.
Our focus for this sponsorship is particularly on****investing in coaches, referees and young officials --- helping young people gain recognised qualifications, develop their skills and build a pathway within basketball.
Why Invest in Our Coaches?
We want to provide young people with access to recognised Basketball England qualifications, professional development opportunities and practical experience within the club.
Our aim is to create our own pathway for young coaches, referees and table officials, giving young people the opportunity to develop alongside the club while helping build a sustainable future for basketball in Harrogate.
Our Current Development Pathway
This is not simply an aspiration for the future. We already have young people within the club who are ready to take the next steps in their development.
Our current priorities include:
Supporting one of our young coaches, who is completing his Level 2 coaching qualification, to progress towards Level 3
Supporting another young coach who is ready to undertake his Level 2 coaching qualification
Supporting a young person who would like to begin their coaching journey with the Introduction to Coaching qualification, formerly Level 1
Providing opportunities for that young coach, and others, to also develop as referees and table officials
Offering our U16 and U18 players opportunities to complete Basketball England referee and table official qualifications
Creating a pathway for players to remain involved in basketball beyond playing the game
As the programme develops, we hope to identify more young people who are interested in coaching and officiating and support their progression through the relevant Basketball England pathways.
What Sponsorship Would Support
Sponsorship funding would allow Harrogate Marshalls to remove or significantly reduce the financial barriers associated with professional development.
Funding would contribute towards:
Basketball England coaching qualifications
Progression from introductory coaching qualifications through Levels 2 and 3
Basketball England referee qualifications
Basketball England table official qualifications
Safeguarding training
DBS checks where required
Basketball England membership and licensing requirements associated with coaching and officiating
Branded Harrogate Marshalls coaching and sideline kit
Further professional development opportunities as our young coaches and officials progress
Rather than expecting young people or their families to fund these qualifications themselves, we want the club to be able to recognise potential, encourage ambition and provide meaningful support to those willing to give their time and energy back to basketball.
Current Qualification Costs
The programme would help meet the costs associated with recognised Basketball England qualifications and requirements.
| Professional Development | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Coaching, formerly Level 1 | £115, or £105 for Basketball England members |
| Level 2 Club Coach | £335, or £305 for Basketball England members |
| Level 3 Coaching Certificate | Approx. £675+* |
| Basketball England Safeguarding Course | £20 |
| Enhanced DBS, volunteer | £11.80 |
| Enhanced DBS, non-volunteer/paid role | £67.06 |
| Table Official Level 1 | £35, or £31.50 for Basketball England members |
| Table Official Level 2 | £50, or £45 for Basketball England members |
| Referee Level 1 | £45, or £40.50 for Basketball England members |
| Referee Level 2 | £85, or £76.50 for Basketball England members |
| Referee Level 3 | Approx. £115* |
Where Basketball England membership provides access to reduced course fees, we will aim to make the most effective use of sponsorship funding by accessing those discounts wherever possible.
Creating Young Referees and Officials
We also see a significant opportunity to involve our older junior players in the wider game.
Our U16 and U18 players already understand basketball from a player's perspective. Through referee and table official qualifications, we can give them the opportunity to develop a completely different understanding of the sport.
These courses can provide young people with:
Recognised Basketball England qualifications
Leadership and decision-making experience
Increased confidence
Greater knowledge of the rules and structure of the game
Opportunities to officiate games
The potential to earn money through basketball as they gain experience
Another route to remain involved in the sport as they get older
For some players, coaching or officiating may eventually become just as important to them as playing.
Developing our own referees and table officials will also strengthen the club as a whole and help support the continued growth of competitive basketball in Harrogate.
Professional Club Kit
Sponsorship funding would also be used to provide our developing coaches with branded Harrogate Marshalls club kit to wear at training sessions and on the sidelines during fixtures.
We want our young coaches to feel that they are genuinely part of the coaching team and to represent the club professionally when working with players, parents, opposition teams and officials.
Providing appropriate coaching kit also gives the programme its own identity and recognises the commitment these young people are making to the club.
Where appropriate, sponsor branding could be incorporated into this kit, creating a visible link between the sponsor and the development opportunities they are helping to provide.
More Than a Coaching Course
The purpose of this programme is not simply to pay for qualifications.
We want to create opportunities for young people to develop leadership, communication, confidence, organisation, responsibility and professional skills through basketball.
A young person might begin as a U16 or U18 player, complete a table official or referee course, progress into coaching, gain further qualifications and eventually become one of the people helping lead basketball in Harrogate.
For those who want to pursue sport professionally, these qualifications and experiences can also provide a valuable foundation for future employment, further education or a career within sport.
Building the Club From Within
Rather than relying entirely on coaches and officials from outside the area, we want to develop people from within our own basketball community.
We already have young people who are willing to step forward. What they need now is the opportunity to develop.
This is where our Marshalls families can help
If you know a local business that might be interested in supporting young people, developing coaches or investing in the future of basketball in Harrogate, please introduce us.
Whether that means making an email introduction, sharing the name of a business you think we should approach, or simply mentioning the opportunity to someone you know, every connection helps.
A sponsorship contribution could help one young person gain a qualification, give another the opportunity to take their next step, or help us create a wider pathway for young people to stay involved in basketball.
By investing in our young coaches, referees and officials now, sponsors are helping us build the people who can support and sustain basketball in Harrogate for years to come.
If you have a potential business connection, please get in touch with us. We'd love to hear from you. 🏀