Open up your Ball Again resource and you will find:

• six weeks of innovative session plans, tailored to meet the needs of those who might ‘Ball Again’.
• bespoke promotional posters for male, female, mixed and masters Ball Again sessions.
• Ball Again Attendance Register and Registration Form, Incident/Accident Guidelines and Report Form, Risk Assessment and Feedback Form.

What does a Ball Again Organiser do?

A Ball Again Organiser is responsible for:

• identifying facility time and booking / hiring the facility.
• recruiting a Ball Again PlayMaker.
• promoting the session.
• determining session cost.
• paying for the Ball Again PlayMaker.
• securing appropriate equipment.
• covering participants through appropriate public liability insurance.
• monitoring the quality of delivery.
• offering participants competitive and volunteer exit route opportunities.

All Ball Again Organisers will be supported by a Regional Development Manager or County Basketball Development Officer.

Who is a Ball Again PlayMaker?

A Ball Again PlayMaker is the individual responsible for delivering the Ball Again session plans to participants. Although the session plans are designed for ease of use, England Basketball recommends that the Ball Again PlayMaker holds a Level 2 Coaching Award and is affiliated to England Basketball. Suitable for those over the age of fifteen, Ball Again is a participant-centred package of coaching and games specifically designed with the ‘lapsed’ basketball player in mind. The offer provides a relaxed reintroduction to the sport catering for players who have played some basketball, a little or a lot, in the past and is also open to those trying the sport for the first time.

What makes a good Ball Again PlayMaker?

A successful Ball Again PlayMaker will:

• put participants at their ease and make them feel relaxed on court.
• encourage and enthuse beginners or those nervous about returning to the sport.
• understand the purpose of the Ball Again programme.
• conduct an appropriate warm-up and cool-down with players
• recognise and adapt to the needs of players of various abilities and fitness.
• organise safe activities at the appropriate level for the group and deal with signs of injury.
• enable modified or adapted games to be played at the appropriate level for the group.
• officiate with confidence, imposing simple rules to enable games to function safely and fairly.
• observe, analyse and provide positive feedback to motivate participants and encourage retention.

Who might come to a Ball Again session?

Ball Again welcomes anybody over the age of fifteen but has a focus on those over the age of 21 (England Basketball’s offer to the younger age group, particularly those in the education sector, being IM Basketball).

Participants are likely to be:

• recreational and social players.
• beginners who may not have a long-term commitment to the game.
• players who have played at school and want to play again but without the commitment required for formal league participation.

Reasons that participants might have stopped playing include:

• the transition from school/college to university and/or work.
• too time consuming and conflicts with work/study/social time.
• too competitive
• intimidating i.e. when moving to a new environment fear of making a mistake, of failure and of being laughed at.
• perception of not being good enough to participate in basketball.
• fear of being injured.
• playing or training can be boring.
• lack of or reduced enjoyment.
• female players feeling they were ‘no good’, feeling uncomfortable in front of other people, disliked the way they looked.

Ball Again Organisers and PlayMakers should remember:

• enjoyment, fitness and making friends are key drivers for people participating in basketball.
• good organisation is critical to attracting and maintaining participation.
• emphasis should be on positive coaching to encourage and show respect to all participants.

Remember, England Basketball’s development staff are always on hand to offer advice and look forward to working with you to make your Ball Again programme a success!