Information about the CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club

 Welcome to the CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club website!

We are a thriving, vibrant and friendly Club which supports five competitive teams and runs weekly training sessions in Cardiff and Caerphilly.

We started as a very small group of dedicated individuals (in 2002) and have gone from strength to strength since those small beginnings.

 We are now hosting FIVE competitive teams - one team in each of the 1st, 3rd and 4th divisions of the Great Britain National League as well as an under 19 and under 15 junior team.

There is something for everyone at the CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club!

We have a progressive and enthusiastic Committee which is dedicated to offering Wheelchair Basketball opportunities to everyone who is interested in being involved. We are always aiming to progress and build (whilst having as much fun as possible!) and be the best Club we can be.

We'd love to hear from you if you are interested in getting involved (as a player, volunteer or official) - we have lots to offer! There's lots more information about the Club and the sport of wheelchair basketball on these pages - but please get in touch if you have any futher queries. And PLEASE come along to support us at our home games...entry is free to all our matches

If you fancy "having a go" we would love to hear from you - new players are ALWAYS welcome.

 

 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 CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club began approx 9 years ago (in 2002) as the Cardiff Bay Tigers. However, 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 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.

2006 also saw the CELTS benefit from signing Cardiff's Wheelchair Basketball paralympian, Caroline Matthews.

The Club launched two competitive teams (into the 3rd and 4th Divisions of the Great Britain National League) and both teams were incredibly successful in their inaugural seasons.

The Club's success was recognised at the end of the 2006/2007 season with the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association awarding the Club the rarely bestowed "Best Performing New Club Award".

2007 continued to be an amazing year for the CELTS with Holly Hinchey, one of the Club's coaches at the time, being awarded the Sports Council for Wales' Coach of the Year 2007 in the "Coach to Disabled Persons : Participation" class.

The Club's two teams continued to perform well in the 3rd and 4th divisions of the GB National League. The CELTS first team moved from mid-table towards the top of the table over the next couple of seasons, whilst the second team consistently dominated the Development Division

2009 was another amazing year for the CELTS - our first team was 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. 

 2010 saw the Club continue to grow and expand. We began to run regular training sessions in both Cardiff and Caerphilly and, for the first time, we hosted FIVE teams : a 2nd division team, two 4th division teams and an under 19 and under 15 junior teams.

The 2010-11 season was truely ground-breaking for the CELTS. The first team got promoted to the first division and the CELTS have decided to enter teams into the first, third and fourth divisions for the 2011-2012 season (as well as the U19 and U15 teams).

There really is something for everyone at the CELTS Wheelchair Basketball Club (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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