Catherine McKinnell, MP for Newcastle North, received a masterclass from Team GB basketball stars this week during a special event in Parliament to promote the sport.

Great Britain men’s captain Drew Sullivan and Great Britain women’s national team star Johannah Leedham were on hand to show Catherine some new ball skills, as well as to raise awareness of the recent successes of the national teams and the potential of the sport to turn around the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The successful event, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Basketball – of which Catherine is a member – comes ahead of the launch of a new report from the APPG on the positive social impact of the sport within inner cities and deprived communities.

Catherine said:

‘It was great to attend the APPG Basketball’s event this week and hear about the successes of basketball in the UK, as well as shoot some hoops with Team GB players. We have a really successful BBL team in the Newcastle Eagles, and I am always keen to help promote this exciting sport in Parliament and my constituency.

‘It’s clear that there’s a huge amount of untapped potential in the UK for basketball to flourish both as an elite level sport, and as a medium through which we can reach out to young people from all kinds of backgrounds.’  

Kevin Routledge, Vice Chairman of the British Basketball League Foundation, helped to organise the event with the assistance of the British Basketball League (BBL) and was eager to ensure it had a real impact.

He said: ‘This was a unique and important event in raising the profile of basketball in the most powerful location in the UK, and we’re really grateful to Catherine for her support.

 ‘Anything we can do to raise awareness of the ability of basketball to affect positive change in communities across the country amongst policymakers is a positive step. I’m confident that the imminent report from the APPG on Basketball will further reinforce that message, and set out a clear strategy to allow the UK to harness the massive potential the sport has to change the lives of thousands of young people for the better.’