We are the Cardiff CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club and we currently have two teams which play in the second and fourth divisions of the G.B. National League.
The 2006/2007 season was the Club's inaugural competitive season - and we got off with an excellent start. Our 4th division team won their national league division and our third division team finished a very respectable 5th in the southern region of the 3rd division. 2007 also saw the CELTS, as a
Club, recognised as the "Best Performing New Club" by the Great Britain
Wheelchair Basketball Association. We have continued to grow from that initial success - with the 4th division team winning their league and the third division team reaching the play-offs in the 2008 - 2009 season (having finished 2nd in our region) and gaining promotion to the second division for the 2009-2010 season.
We are always aiming to progress and build (whilst having as much fun as possible!) - so come along and support us ...entry is free to all our matches!
And if you fancy "having a go" we would love to hear from you - new players are ALWAYS welcome.
The Cardiff CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club forms part of the Cardiff CELTS Basketball Academy. Further details about the CELTS womens teams are available at this site and about the CELTS mens teams at this site.
During the 2006/2007 season, the Cardiff CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club was the only Wheelchair Basketball Club in Wales. We have made such good progress that it seems more wheelchair basketball clubs in Wales will be evolving very soon and the Club continues to work actively throughout the region to increase awareness and get more people involved in this excellent sport.
If you would like any information about us, or about wheelchair basketball in general, and you can't find the answers on this site please contact us - see the "Contact Us" link on the left for further details.
Alternatively, please feel free to come along to one of our training sessions or matches - we train on Thursday evenings and play our home matches in the sports hall at the Trowbridge Campus of Coleg Glan Hafren in Cardiff. Check out the Training Times, Directions and Fixtures pages on this site for more info.
Spectators are always welcome but if you would like to join in on your first visit to training please contact us first.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Club History
The Cardiff CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club began approx 8 years ago (in 2002) as the Cardiff Bay Tigers. It was not until the 2006/07 season that the Club was ready to enter teams in the Great Britain National League - it took that long to build up a core base of players and raise the funds necessary to buy the basketball wheelchairs that are needed for people to participate.
During 2006 the Club has changed dramatically. It began with moving from its original venue, in Cardiff Bay, to Coleg Glan Hafren's Trowbridge Campus and, as part of that move, the Club became part of the Cardiff CELTS Basketball Academy.
The Cardiff CELTS Basketball Academy has mens and womens, senior and junior able bodied teams as well as the Club's two wheelchair teams - giving it a complete range of basketball teams. The Academy has absorbed the well established and respected mens and womens Cardiff Clippers teams and will benefit from coaching by Tony Hinchey (former Welsh Women's Senior Coach), Chris Horrocks (an ex-professional, GB and Welsh International player) and Holly Hinchey (who was the Sports Council for Wales' Coach of the Year 2007 in the "Coach to Disabled Persons : Participation" class).
The Cardiff CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club has also benefited by signing Cardiff's Wheelchair Basketball paralympian Caroline Matthews during 2006.
2008 saw the CELTS successfully bid for a slice of the Norwich Union Community Sports Fund. The Club managed to secure the Bronze award which meant it received a financial boost of £1,000 - which will be put towards the considerable cost of running the clubs two national league teams.
2009 has been an amazing year for the CELTS - our first team has been promoted to the 2nd Division of the Great Britain National League...AND the CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club has been awarded the Disability Sport Wales's Clubmark accreditation. These achievements reflect the dedication of the Committee to making the Club a safe and friendly environment where individuals can receive quality coaching and have specific player pathways enabling them to learn and enjoy basketball - and reach their full potential.
The Club currently has two teams competing in the Great Britain National League...there really is something for eveyone (whatever your current standard).
If you would like to get involved with the Club, as a player or volunteer or supporter, NOW is the perfect time to get involved and we'd love to hear from you!
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