24 June 2008
Leopards announce major community project
Leopards have announced a major community programme as they prepare to return to Brentwood in September.
The Big Cats will be the only England Basketball League side to take part in the Hoops4Health programme, which will see them visiting 150 schools in the five Olympic boroughs to promote healthy living for youngsters.
Leopards’ programme in being run in conjunction with Great Britain assistant coach Tony Garbelotto, who started the scheme with his former club London United, and continued it last season despite United pulling out of the BBL.
“It’s a really exciting project for us” said Leopards’ general manager Dave Ryan, “We’ll be the only side at our level to run a Hoops4Health scheme, and it will enable us to employ four full-time players.
“We’re still committed to our link-up with Barking Abbey Basketball Academy, but we’ll now have the funds to bring in a couple of American players, and look to strengthen our group of senior British players.”
Hoops4Health made its debut on Tyneside in 2002 as Newcastle Eagles set about getting school children active. After touching the lives of more than 60,000 kids across the North East that fledgling community scheme has been rolled out nationally by the BBL and its member clubs.
"It's an extraordinary achievement to get so many children engaged in physical activity," said Dr Danny Ruta, public health director for Newcastle Primary Care Trust. "Without Hoops4Health, many of them wouldn't have had the chance to engage in any kind of physical activity. Many of them will be children who have been turned off by, or turned away from, so-called majority sports."
It is estimated that 500,000 children from across the UK will reap tangible rewards from the scheme by the time the London Olympics begins in 2012.
Leopards make their return to the Brentwood Centre on Sunday September 21 when they host Kent Crusaders.
This site remains the
Copyright © of Leopards 2004 Ltd.
Any unauthorised reproduction of this site,or any part of it, is an offence.