Basketball Ireland is delighted to announce that Meagan Hoffman and Colin O’Reilly have been chosen to be part of the prestigious TIME-OUT programme that is run by FIBA and co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU.

The programme is designed for elite basketball players and focuses on the integration of these players into the working environment. In essence, the programme is a fast track to a range of qualifications in Leadership and Management in sport and business, and combines on-site learning via workshops with online study by distance learning.

The innovative part of the projects sees successful participants receiving:

•"Leadership and Management" certificate/diploma depending on the entry level of the athlete (delivered by Northumbria University)

•"Basketball Management" qualification (delivered by FIBA Europe and FIBA)

•"Talented Athlete Lifestyle Support (TALS)" certificate (delivered by TASS)

Speaking about the news Meagan stated: “I feel honoured to have been selected for the TIME-OUT Programme! I wanted to be a part of this programme the moment I heard about it - it's an extremely exciting project to be involved.

“I think it's such an unbelievable opportunity to help transition professional basketball players into the next chapter of their lives and future careers. The structure of the programme will provide the skills and qualifications to allow professional players to progress from being an athlete, to a wide array of career paths.

“I'm looking forward to the experience as a whole - meeting new people, seeing and starting this new journey with athletes who I have played with/against in the past, obtaining some amazing qualifications, and hopefully coming out the other end of this finding my next career path. Basketball has has given me so much, and I want to use this opportunity as a stepping stone in securing a job within basketball and give back to the sport that I love,” she concluded.

Also speaking about the opportunity, Colin O’Reilly stated: “It’s fantastic to have been chosen by BI and FIBA to take part in this prestigious project. This programme will broaden my experiences and advance my options as I transition into my post-playing career."

“This is an extremely exciting project to be involved in. As players, we are driven towards short-term performance goals in order to achieve the best result possible during competitions. Long term planning is something that takes a back seat throughout most of our playing careers, which can leave us on the back foot once we retire. Planning a career post professional sports can be a daunting task but is one that every athlete has to carry out in order to transition smoothly into careers that can give the satisfaction playing has.

Having been an S and C Coach, player and head coach, I have seen the different performance sides of organizations. With this programme, I will be able to gain a greater insight into the holistic approach needed in the administration of sporting organizations in order to impact the wider community. With the various different aspects of the programme, the skills learned and the connections gathered throughout FIBA’s network, the possibilities of adding value across the broader basketball community are endless and something I’m looking forward to.”

Also speaking about the news, Time-Out tutor, Jason Killeen stated: “Basketball Ireland is committed to this project both financially and logistically, and the selection of two Irish-based players is further proof that basketball in Ireland is growing and being recognized on a European level. ”

You can learn more about the programme by clicking here and here.