2012 is the date for British Basketball, with the Olympic Games taking place in London, and the aim of GB Basketball is to have a competitive team before this date. That’s why the federation is bundling all their efforts in order to unite the best players that have any kind of links with the United Kingdom.
Besides all these efforts, the first stage will be the Eurobasket 2009 qualifiers this fall. Great Britain will face Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic and Israel; none of the three are among the top European nations. In order to give the maximum number of fans the opportunity to cheer for UK Basketball, the British federation has decided to play the home games in their best arenas.
So for all the fans, please note the following days: September 6 against the Czech Republic at the O2 Arena in London (20,000 seats); September 10 against Bosnia-Herzegovina at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham (13,000 seats); and at September 13 in the Echo Arena in Liverpool (10,000 seats). The last has already seen a record for basketball attendance in Great Britain and with this campaign, the magic barrier of 10,000 may fall.
Luol Deng, the Chicago Bulls forward and leading star of the new British National team is really excited about this opportunity to play in the biggest arenas of the island as he explained:
Last summer, I was so excited to be pulling on the GB jersey for the first time and this year it gets even better with us heading to London. A number of us in the team are from London which makes this fixture all the more important. One of things that is often talked about regarding London 2012 is that it offers an opportunity to inspire people and I hope that as a team we can do that over the next four years, starting in London in September. That’s what the Olympics are all about.
So if you want to see Luol Deng and his teammates in action, book your flight with one of the major low-cost carriers and head to the O2 arena on Saturday, September 6, at 4pm. Tickets are available right now for the friendly price of 15 pounds, perhaps slightly more than your flight will cost…
And with the saved money, you can help Luol Deng in his quest for money to help his charity.
