Spelthorne Atoms Basketball Club and Richmond College-London United have today announced that as from 1st January 2009 the Clubs will merge together under the umbrella of London United Basketball Club in order to provide a clear progression pathway for players from as young as Under 8 through to Senior level.

 

For the remainder of the 2008/09 season, the two clubs will continue to play under their existing names but, as from the 2009/10 season, the Junior section of London United Basketball Club (Under 8s through to Under 16s) will be known as London United Atoms, with the Academy section (Under 18s) being known as London United Richmond College, and the Senior section being known by the parent title of London United.

 

For several years now, players have progressed from Spelthorne Atoms, who are based in Ashford in Surrey, to the Richmond College Basketball Academy which is based at Richmond upon Thames College in Twickenham, and so the merger serves to strengthen the existing link between the two Clubs.

 

The merger also serves to bring together the different experiences of two long established basketball clubs who have, until now, focused their attentions on different age groups. Both Clubs have in recent years had success on the national stage with London United runners up in Men’s Division 1 in 2005 and making a successful appearance in the British Basketball League (the “BBL”) in the 2006/07 season. Richmond College-London United won the U18 South Conference II in 2008, with Spelthorne Atoms winning both the U16 South Conference II and the U15 South League in the same year. Spelthorne Atoms also made it to the National Final Fours at U16 in 2007 where they came fourth in the country, and again at U15 in 2008 where they came third in the country.

 

London United General Manager and Director of Basketball, Jack Majewski, said of the merger, “We are all looking forward to working together to create a clear progression pathway, not only for elite players, but also to ensure that all players to achieve to their full potential. London United has strong links with other European Clubs and we also are hoping to build on these links to provide opportunities for all of the young players to travel to, and learn from, the expertise of other European countries thereby also encouraging both international integration and co-operation from an early age.”