The Sport Changes Life Foundation and Basketball Ireland are happy to announce their ‘Legacy Partnership’ as together they aim to help grow the sport of basketball on the island of Ireland.

The news comes ahead of the upcoming Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic, presented by Sport Changes Life and partner the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) sponsored by Aer Lingus in Belfast, SSE Arena of the 1^st and 2^nd of December of 2017.

The ‘Legacy Partnership’ has already begun, with the successful Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic, Sport Changes Life MAAC Coaching Clinic tour sponsored by Aer Lingus, that took place in Belfast, Dublin and Cork last week with coaches and players in attendance from across the area boards taking the opportunity to learn from the MAAC Women’s basketball coaches featuring Head Coaches from MAAC women’s basketball teams.

Sport Changes Life CEO and founder, Gareth Maguire, welcomed the new ’Legacy Partnership’: “We are absolutely delighted to announce this partnership with Basketball Ireland as we already have seen the positive impact this historic event is having, and going to have, on the basketball community here with outstanding turnouts of players and coaches alike to the MAAC Coaching Clinics just last week.

“Our core work at the Sport Changes Life Foundation is to raise the aspirations of young people throughout the island of Ireland, through sport, with our Victory Scholar programme. This event allows us to continue to inspire all ages and elements of the basketball community, as we have no doubt, that it will have a positive impact on future generations. I would like to personally thank Bernard O’Byrne for his input into developing the foundations of this ‘Legacy Partnership’ and we look forward to working closely with Basketball Ireland to develop legacy of the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic throughout the game of basketball that we all love.”

Also welcoming the new partnership, Basketball Ireland Secretary General, Bernard O’Byrne stated: “Basketball Ireland is delighted to support this exciting initiative to engage people, especially young people, in the great sport of basketball. The quality of the games should be fantastic and the ancillary activities will also be very interesting. We are encouraging all of our members countrywide to consider taking in some of the games which should make this venture a success and the first of many such events.”

For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic please go to www.belfastbasketballclassic.com.

To purchase tickets to the Belfast Classic, visit http://www.ssearenabelfast.com/basketball-hall-of-fame-belfast-classic