UNIVERSITY LINK-UP ANNOUNCED
June 28th 2007

The Plymouth Raiders are proud to announce a link-up with the University of Plymouth. The agreement will greatly benefit both parties, and the relationship is set to continue developing strong links over the next couple of years.

The link will see one of the Raiders BBL players and possibly one or two of the development coaches running and coaching the University basketball team in the BUSA league. It will also give the Raiders promotional access to 30,000 students currently enrolled at the University.

The agreement enables us to put in place a structured pathway for development players. We are currently working with a number of specialist basketball acadmies in Cornwall and looking forward to establishing our own here in Plymouth in the near future. The University link will then allow us to provide quality coaching in a university environment with opportunities to play national league basketball for Raiders in either Division 2 or the BBL. This will hopefulky see more Raiders development players wanting to stay in the City to get a university education. Scholarships worth up to £1500 per season will be made available to those playing either for Raiders BBL team or for Raiders II, and at the same time in the BUSA league for the University. It's not just financial benefits that the players will receive however. Free use of the health and fitness suite, access to a strength and conditioning coach and nutrional advice from trained and qualified staff all form part of the scholarship package on offer.

The University is currently building a new sports centre which it is aniticipated will be completed by April 2008.

The Raiders had a similar agreement in place with Marjons for a number of years and this enabled them to recruit players such as Roderick Wellington, Dean Williams, and more recently Jeff Danchie and Jean Wakanena all from London. With the number and scope of different courses on offer, it's thought that the partnership with the University will see a greater number of players from around the country interested in coming to Plymouth for a first class education and an opportunity to play basketball for the Raiders.

"Its a very beneficial agreement for both the Raiders and the University. With 30,000 registered students, its a huge resource for us as a club. The University cares fervently about the education it offers to it's students, the amount of construction and developments around the campus just proves this," says Dave Briggs, Raiders Chief Executive. "The agreement will give our players access to a fantastic education together with some very talented sports professionals. In return, we hope to give the University team some quality coaching, and in future years, help the team exceed everyone's expectations. We're very thankful to Lesley Coulton and her staff at the University for their commitment to furthering basketball in the City, and we look forward to building a long and successful partnership."

The Raiders have already discussed with the University, the possibility of the new sports centre becoming the home of the Raiders development teams from next season.