Having a European Championships in Dublin is a bit special and hosting it at the brand new Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena makes it doubly so. Yesterday in Dublin Basketball Ireland revealed more of the detail that will go into doing just that between August 4th and 13th this summer.
An official launch of the event logo was held at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, where the ambassadors for the event were also unveiled. The ambassadors will be promoting the event in schools and clubs around the country, and include experienced star players Grainne Dwyer, Michelle Clarke, Jason Killeen, and Lorcan Murphy.
“This is a very exciting time for Basketball Ireland,” said Basketball Ireland Secretary General Bernard O’Byrne.
“With 100 days to go, preparations are now well underway and we are working hard to ensure that this will be a very successful event for all.”
“We are delighted to welcome our ambassadors on board, all of whom have been a big part of the basketball scene in Ireland for many years and we look forward to working with them closely in the lead up to this event.”
“Hosting this Championships was the next logical step for us after hosting Congress last year and having our international teams back in place.”
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“It is following our Strategic Plan 2015-2025 and is a great step forward for Irish basketball. We will need a lot of volunteers to help us to run this in an efficient manner and we hope that the entire basketball community will get behind the tournament and support it.”
The volunteer roles include for stewarding, team liaison, court assistants, media, IT, medical and others.
Tickets for the event are also on sale now with prices from a daily rate of €5 for adults and only €2 for kids. In the middle of the summer holidays that represents excellent value for a great day out of international sport and could be a spark to give a massive uplift of interest in playing the game that will build on the already strong schools programme that exists here.
“European Championships don’t come to your country every year so while it’s here, we should all take advantage of it and take pride in the fact that it’s here,” said U18 National Coach Tommy O’Mahony.
Support
“Anytime we travel to Europeans, the best support over there is always for the Irish team, so I can only imagine what the support is going to be like now in our own country.”
“It is a fantastic opportunity for Irish people to see international basketball during the summer and it’s a big opportunity for Basketball Ireland and for the Under 18 girls to show off their skills as the home nation on a massive stage.”
The championships will be held from August 4-13th, 2017 in two venues in Dublin: the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght and the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown. Twenty four countries – including Ireland – will be battling for top honours throughout the course of the event, with 96 games being played out across the two arenas.
Details on how to buy tickets can be found here.
