Coach To Get International Experience
Coaching Basketball in Kenya!

One of our new coaches this season is Chris Eichstedt, a student at Bournemouth University who is doing his placement year in Plymouth. His family has a rich tradition with basketball in the City, as his father Clark, used to play for the Kanary Kings, the Raiders predecessors.

Chris is extremely fortunate to have been selected to visit Kenya and coach basketball to children for a month, from mid August to mid September. He's given us some brief information about the project below, but will be bringing photos back with him and will write a report for the website upon his return. He's in for a fantastic experience, and we wish him well with the trip.


Bournemouth University Sports Development Unit has been planning for over a year a one month 'Sports Development Expedition' (SDX) in Kenya.

Working in conjunction with Camps International, BU's Sports Development Unit will lead a group of specially-selected students from across a range of courses to the Mukurumuji Camp in a secluded region of the Shimba Hills National Reserve in Kenya in August and September of 2007. Once there, the students on Camp Kenya SDX will be split amongst local schools, coaching and teaching children basketball, football and cricket as well as building and improving sports facilities in the region. The month-long project will culminate with an inter-school basketball, cricket and football festival with student-coached and trained teams competing against each other.

The evenings and spare time will be spent relaxing on the beautiful Southern Africa coastline and also experiencing safari at Tsavo National Park. Here there will be the opportunity to view 'The Big Five' animals (Elephant, Lion, Black Rhino, Leopard and Buffalo), surly an exciting prospect for anyone.

"This is a truly unique opportunity for students to experience grass roots sports development in a country from the developing world. The trip is all about sharing and enhancing the lives of others less fortunate whilst using sport as a vehicle for making this happen" said SDX Team Leader Barry Squires, BU's Sports Development Manager.