Players from Bristol Benchwarmers, a weekly, social basketball club backed by Bristol Sport Foundation, were at the SGS WISE Arena to cheer on Andreas Kapoulas’ side as part of the social offering of the community programme.
Benchwarmers aims to help people rediscover their love for the sport, with the motto: ‘from the couch, to the court’, urging players of all ages, abilities and experience to make space in their busy schedules to revive their game.
“Socials are a big part of what we offer as a club,” said Gareth Hodgkinson, team manager.
“Having the opportunity to do something like watch live BBL basketball on our doorstep is a real blessing.
“We offer nearly five hours of coached basketball over three sessions a week, but it’s not just what we do on the court that helps us deliver what we do – getting together in an environment like this increases our bond beyond the court and reminds us why team games like basketball make for great social hobbies too.
“It’s not just what we do on the court that helps us deliver what we do – getting together in an environment like this increases our bond beyond the court and reminds us why team games like basketball make for great social hobbies too.”
“Our members are from all over the world, sharing the same passion for basketball, but are also tied down with busy schedules.
“We use the motto: ‘from the couch, to the court’, because it’s just too easy to forget about that sport you used to play in school or university or enjoy watching on TV and that it is indeed accessible at any point of your life.
“At Benchwarmers, you can be a bit rusty and a bit out of shape without the fear of a 6’8″ beast dunking on you.
“Having the backing of Bristol Sport Foundation means we continue to keep our membership affordable and run our sessions to more and more new people looking to get back into basketball, but it also means we have more time to arrange great nights out like watching our very own Bristol Flyers.”
Benchwarmers run three weekly sessions at The Park Sports Centre, Knowle (BS4 1DQ) – Monday (7:30pm-9pm) or Tuesday (6pm-7:30pm) and Sunday (9:30am-11am).
If you are interested in joining Benchwarmers or want to find out more, click here.
