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18 March 2026  4 min read

Basketball North West's journey to 100% PlayHQ uptake

Led by Kate Lewis and implemented by an incredible team comprising the region, including Jonny Vickerstaff, Vogue Lucas and Zoe Silcock, they have achieved 100% compliance with PlayHQ across all regional and local league competitions.

Notably, it is the only region in the UK to reach full adoption. This milestone was not the result of a slow, optional rollout. Instead, Basketball North West took a decisive approach - described by Lewis as "ripping off the plaster".

Basketball North West’s implementation of PlayHQ was rapid, with teams across the region getting on board and backing it up with extensive on-game-day support.

This hands-on presence ensured clubs, officials, and volunteers were not left to navigate the change alone, turning what could have been resistance into momentum.

"What we basically did and said to the teams was you're going to have to learn how to do it, and we might as well just do it straightaway because this is a platform with a lot of potential," Lewis said about PlayHQ.

"And honestly, it’s been brilliant. It's saving us enormous amounts of time with admin and stats, and the players and parents of those players love it too."

Lewis (left) at last season's North West Regional BE awards event

One of the biggest outcomes of this transition has been the creation of a reliable baseline for participation.

For the first time, 1,300 registered junior players are now tracked across local leagues. This data did not previously exist, which limited the region’s planning and development that Lewis and her team often struggled with.

With PlayHQ, Lewis can now see who is playing, where, and at what level, unlocking clearer pathways for growth and even targeted investment.

"Us being able to properly focus on growing the sport in the North West has been a game changer for us, and this is only recently in the programme’s setting on PlayHQ," Lewis explains.

"We've set up all our courses, and they are now on there. We take them out of the shop, and it's just brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

"If you go from an administrative point of view, it's unbelievable. Even from the point where we're just setting up different competitions. As well as running the under-11 league, we also run tournaments so people can come and try.

"We have Bunny Ball Bash, which is the Easter one. We have the Jingle Ball Jam at Christmas. We've got the Summer Slam and then the September Slam. So, they can all be put in there as well, so teams can sign up and pay at the same time."

The North West's recent 3x3 FIBA Youth Development Fund U11 3x3 event was a huge success

The impact on officiating has been equally transformative. Referee numbers have grown dramatically, from approximately 30 to 170 officials, since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

This increase has been supported by a new rule requiring clubs that add teams to also supply their own officials.

By embedding PlayHQ into the competition structure, Basketball North West has ensured that infrastructure growth keeps up with participation, rather than falling behind.

"It’s easier now to get referees for each game and to assign them to games, and the teams certainly help with this as they provide them but we’re on hand to step in and it’s easier with the system," Lewis said.

From an operational perspective, the time savings for the Basketball North West team have been enormous. Administrative processes that were once fragmented across spreadsheets, emails, and third-party tools are now centralised.

The PlayHQ shop offers referee uniform sales, officiating courses, and registrations for all major tournaments. Payments flow through a single system, eliminating manual follow-ups and reducing the risk of errors.

Overall, PlayHQ has become far more than a registration tool for Basketball North West. It is now the operational backbone of the region, enabling scale, accountability, and sustainability.

Find out more about Basketball North West

More on BE's Regions

Words by John Hobbs