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4 December 2025  4 min read

Slam Jam proving a positive force for basketball in Portsmouth

The Force began its journey with the initiative aimed at 5-11-year-olds in 2024 via its community arm  - and has significantly boosted youth basketball participation across Portsmouth, reaching more than 300 children through a combination of school-based sessions and club programming. 

Slam Jam - which is designed to provide a great first experience to basketball in a fun, safe and engaging atmosphere and will relaunch in 2026 - complemented its already popular junior sessions, which have been running for more than 10 years. 

With nearly two-thirds of the youngsters progressing into the club’s junior teams - from U6s to U18s - the early success highlights not only the growing appetite for basketball in the city, but the strength of the development model that Slam Jam and Portsmouth Force have built together. 

Chris West, the club’s vice-chairman, who handles all club finances, including sponsorship, grants and crowdfunding, instantly saw the appeal of Slam Jam, and it didn’t take him long to get the Force involved. 

Coming together as a collective

“I always see benefits in the enormous strength of coming together as a collective, so if there was a Basketball England initiative all about getting more kids playing, we had to tap into it,” said West.  

“We spoke with the community engagement team at Basketball England, worked out how we could launch it, and, because my colleagues and I are highly competitive, we wanted to make it the biggest and best launch.” 

Force in the community has certainly proved that, providing after-school sessions and a structured Sunday programme, which is a key driver of the project. 

“What we have in the schools, we also have with a really popular Sunday programme,”  added West. 

“That was set up and is starting to gain traction, but then we spoke about linking our sessions with Slam Jam.  

“So, on a Sunday morning, we have three hours broken down into one-hour sessions with different age groups, who can all come and play, and that is very much called Slam Jam.  

“In my view, Slam Jam sessions make it easy for the coaches to make sure that we're teaching the fundamental skills of the game and doing it in a fun way.  

“Plus, it gets kids playing basketball from as young as five-years-old and that’s something all clubs around the country need to be doing.” 

Creating connections

Community engagement has also played a major role in maintaining momentum. Discounted tickets to Portsmouth Force men’s home games give the young prodigies and their families a direct connection to the club. At the same time, weekly MVP medals add excitement and recognition to every session.  

The club also hosts Slam Jam festivals, which include summer BBQs attended by sponsors, local councillors, and new kids who benefit from Slam Jam sessions, with the hope that they come back for more.  

This further strengthens these links and reinforces the message that Slam Jam offers a long-term pathway within the community and to clubs. 

Young girls that want to play

Looking ahead, West says he is keen to expand girls’ participation, not just using Slam Jam but by prioritising them overall. 

“There is a lot of interest with young girls that want to play, and we would love to put together more girls-only sessions and watch their progression and hopefully watch them love this great sport,” said West. 

“We have introduced several young girls to Slam Jam, and they love it so much, they keep coming back, so we’re on the right track, and hopefully we can build on it.” 

With the right focus, Slam Jam has the opportunity to build a balanced, city-wide basketball pathway accessible to every young player in Portsmouth. 

Slam Jam is relaunching in January 2026, with revamped equipment packs including personalised uniforms, new delivery content and will be accessible via PlayHQ for further information.

Contact us about Slam Jam

learn more about slam jam and to get involved

Words by John Hobbs

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