While the situation in the island looks uncertain for the next few weeks, there is plenty of reason for optimism this summer, particularly with announcements from the UK Government on vaccination roll out.

With this in mind, NBC Basketball Camps is planning for its annual August camps in Malvern, Worcestershire and a group trip from the island is being organised for Manx youngsters keen to develop their skills.

NBC has been running complete skills basketball camps since 1971 and the Isle of Man was the location of the first camp outside the United States.

While the island-based camp was forced to relocate to the UK in 2013, there continues to be a strong link between NBC and the Isle of Man Basketball Association.

More than 20 basketballers from the island joined 100 others at the NBC Camp in Malvern during 2019 and a group of over 30 were booked for the 2020 camp before Covid struck.

The camps run a rigorous programme of training, with players of all abilities waking at 7.30am each morning and developing their skills through to 10pm each night.

While many sports camps focus only on athletic skills, NBC has prided itself on challenging athletes both on and off the basketball court.

This life skills training takes the form of an annual theme (eg. Win the Moment, Face Your Challenge, Go Beyond), coupled with an evening programme where players are challenged on goal-setting, resilience and overcoming adversity.

It is this combination of athletic and life skills training that has helped NBC grow into one of the largest overnight sports camps in the world.

This year’s NBC UK Camp is slated for August 9-13 and, travel restrictions allowing, a group of young athletes from the island will be escorted to the camp by junior league coaches. Places are open for the NBC 2021 basketball trip and players aged 13-18 are welcome to apply.

For more details on NBC camps or the NBC Isle of Man trip, contact Martin Dunne via email at [email protected]