A youth-led initiative designed to better connect us with the young people who will shape our game's future

Why did you want to join the FYC?

I wanted to join the Future Youth Committee because basketball has been a part of my life for a long time. I started playing back in middle school, and then even after university, I realised I didn't want to just step away from it completely, so I just want to stay connected to it somehow, because it's been a part of my identity over the years. I also really like the idea of being part of a community again, just being around people that really care about the same thing and contributing to something that feels bigger than just myself. 

What do you hope to bring to the FYC?

I think I bring people skills from both sports and my professional background. I've spent years working in environments where communicating and working with different types of people really matters. I think I understand how important it is to make people feel included, especially in team settings, so I think I can help make spaces become more welcoming without losing the fun side of sports.

What do you hope to learn from being part of the FYC? 

I see my time on the committee as something that keeps me grounded in the community setting and also pick up some leadership skills. I think being involved in something like this will really help me stay connected to different kinds of people, improve how I work in teams, and also build my confidence in taking initiatives. So, long term wise, I can see that these kind of experiences translate into roles where I'm working with young people in education, or anything that involves development and engagement.

Why did you want to join the FYC?

Being involved in basketball has always been a goal of mine. I played for West Lancs, before they merged with St. Helens Saints, as a junior player and then went on to play at the University of Liverpool, as well as coaching when I did my post-grad. I wanted to be a part of something that has an impact in basketball.

I think it's a really interesting opportunity to be part of the FYC, to have that say and have that voice within the sport's governance and also to grow from a personal standpoint, ie understanding how BE works, what are its goals and strategies and then what can you learn and understand from that that you can add your experience into.

What do you hope to bring to the FYC?

I work in the football governance team for the Department of Media, Culture and Sport and delivering the new independent football regulator. I deal a lot on the communication side, dealing with correspondence from the public and advising ministers on key policy areas. I think I can bring my corporate communication skills to the FYC, which I've developed in the early parts of my career. It's definitely an area I'm going to try to add in and see what impact I can have.

What do you hope to learn from being part of the FYC? 

The big one for me is the people you meet; the connections you make are huge. I wanted to get my face out there and meet the decision makers within BE. Obviously, there's a huge interest through a personal and professional space for me, so it's about how can I add to the strategy and the development of BE's, and what areas or issues or struggles that I've experienced within my own time in basketball and how I can then channel different decision points that can help the governing body overcome or solve those problems.

Why did you want to join the FYC?

Basketball is really booming down in Sussex and I thought it was really important to have a voice as part of the FYC from down on the coast.

We hear lots of voices from London and Manchester, which are such great hubs for basketball, but I just think a voice from the South East and what's happening along the south coast is equally important. So that's why I was keen to get my get my foot in the door.

How might you implement what you learn through the FYC in your personal and professional life? 

It's going to be helpful especially with my coaching. I coach kids from ages 10 to 18, and using the kind of knowledge around leadership and implementing that with them will be really useful.

I want to try and get more opportunities for them, see what we can do as a unit, and hopefully inspire them to take basketball further in their future, ie taking what they know from basketball and putting that into practice in their future lives.

I do it for the kids and I do it for my players. I'd love to be involved in basketball at a higher level, from operations to developing grassroots opportunities, maybe eventually going up to a higher level in terms of coaching and even working for BE in the future. I just want to make people realise basketball is an option for you at any level.

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Why did you want to join the FYC? 

I think it's important for me to stay involved within the basketball community, and by being part of the FYC, I can help shape the direction of basketball as well.

What I think I can give back to it is raising the awareness of opportunities that are available for people so more people can reach the levels that they want to, and participation and development can increase across the board.

Even within coaching, you can have a lot of community coaches, but for coaches that want to reach the next level, it's raising the awareness of opportunities for them to be able to increase their level of coaching, which then, in time, gives back to the players, because now you've got more skilled, more technical coaches. It's kind of a circular loop of development.

How might the FYC help you in your future career?

I think it's important to shape the way you think. The FYC is really broadening my horizons of strategic thinking and really looking at the way you analyse problems and provide viable solutions. The way I think about things and the way you look at solving problems is definitely a big part of life.

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Why did you want to join the FYC?

To have a voice on basketball. There's new leadership in place from the FYC and a review of the whole structure, and its schedule. I am looking forward to the year placement and developing my skillsets and challenging and working collaboratively with the decision makers at BE, including the Board.

What do you hope to bring to the FYC?

I hope to bring my voice and my lived experience within basketball. I know specific issues exist in basketball and sport in general and I hope sharing my experience through the FYC will shape the future of basketball.

How will the FYC help you?

I hope the FYC will help me with career development because I like to be in those conversations around sport.

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