It is with considerable regret that we advise that our highly successful ten year association with RAF Careers has come to an end. This is after the first year of the four year renewal of the sponsorship.

 

We have been advised by the RAF Inspectorate of Recruiting and by the Central Office of Information (COI) that the Ministry of Defence required the Royal Air Force to cut its marketing budget by over 50% for the current 2009-10 financial year. As a consequence of this, RAF Careers are withdrawing from sport sponsorship.

 

England Basketball and basketballscotland have both been long term beneficiaries of RAF Career’s support and hope that the possibility of a renewal of the association may occur in better economic times.

 

The support provided by RAF Careers and COI to England Basketball’s junior national leagues over the past ten years has been outstanding and is something that we will continue to appreciate and benefit from for many years to come. 

 

Their support has enabled the growth of the junior national leagues together with an overall growth in participation and the raising of the profile of youth basketball. As a result the RAF Final Fours became premier events on the English basketball calendar.

 

In addition, the RAF Careers sponsorship in recent years facilitated the introduction of the RAF Junior Referees programme and will benefit English basketball in the future.

 

Entries for the junior national leagues have risen to 424 teams for the 2009-10 season and the breakdown of the structure is available on our website. These leagues will continue as in the past with alternative venues currently being sought for all the junior Final Fours events.

 

We remain deeply indebted to RAF Careers for their exceptional contribution to basketball for young people in England over the past ten years. From each and every one of us at England Basketball we say a very big “thank you”.