Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales paid a special visit to NASSA to celebrate their on and off the court achievements recently.

 

He participated in a ceremony where he presented gold medals to the Under 13 National Championship team, the MVP award from the same tournament to Sam Kato and the England Basketball Five Star Accreditation Certificate to the club.

 

The Five Star Accreditation was achieved recently and is a symbol of the commitment and hard work of all the staff and volunteers at the club. It is an award currently only held by four other clubs in the country and they are the first club based in London to achieve it.

 

NASSA has developed a unique, highly successful community program that is delivered in over 61 schools in the London Borough of Newham (LBN). It works in partnership with LBN Sports Development team, Cumberland School , Rokeby School and other partners to deliver a grass roots program with over 2000 young people per week attending extra-curricular basketball sessions.

 

To deliver these programs, NASSA has established partnerships with the University of East London (UEL), ExCel, Tate & Lyle Sugars, Swan Foundation, Metropolitan Police and several other bodies.

 

The Mayor of Newham said: "The eyes of the world will shortly be upon Newham so it is great to see young sports people here excelling. The Games are all about inspiring people and Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA), with its successful community programme, is grabbing the opportunity with both hands."

 

Pam Brown, of Swan Foundation, commented: "NASSA provides young people a real alternative choice of lifestyle and are inspirational when you hear the young people's stories of how NASSA supports them in their own aspirations. Swan Foundation is proud to support NASSA."

 

Natasha Hart, club Director said: "This is a fantastic achievement for the club and is an award that we have been focused on achieving for a period of time. This award recognises the grassroots program that the club has developed, and the local community initiatives it delivers, plus its partnership with University of East London (UEL). The player pathway is clear and encourages progressions through the programme. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved."