CITY OF EDINBURGH BASKETBALL
CITY OF EDINBURGH BASKETBALL

Academy & Talent Programme

We offer two development options for our elite athletes, the City of Edinburgh Basketball Academy and the Talent Programme, both these programmes are sponsored by Edinburgh College and allow our athletes the opportunity to work on their individual skills in a high performance environment.

City of Edinburgh Basketball Academy

City of Edinburgh basketball club are looking for the next group of elite athletes to join their basketball academy. The basketball academy, run in conjunction with Edinburgh College, is the perfect way to combine your studies whilst training like a professional athlete.

Players will have daily training sessions aimed at improving individual skill work, access to basketball specific strength and conditioning sessions, video analysis, and team training sessions. Players will play in the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) leagues in addition to playing in the City of Edinburgh Basketball Club teams.

The key academic offering of the academy is the Sporting Performance course  delivered by Edinburgh College staff, with the basketball specialisation coaching delivered by City of Edinburgh Basketball Club coaching staff. However timetable permitting, students from other Edinburgh College courses will be eligible to sign up for the Academy sessions. With accommodation and funding available through Edinburgh College, this is a fantastic opportunity for anyone in the country who wants to study and play in the capital. More information about funding and accommodation can be found at the Edinburgh College website.

For players still in high school, there is also a part time option for those wishing to take advantage of the basketball development opportunities provided by the academy. With this option, players can attend the sessions that fit around their school timetable. The City of Edinburgh Basketball Club also runs a Talent Programme for players in S3 and S4 of high school, which is geared towards developing players and providing them with the ideal opportunity to feed into the Basketball Academy.

The Academy sessions for Season 2024-25 will be as follows (all at Edinburgh College Granton campus):

  • Monday 17:00-19:30
  • Wednesday 17:30-20:00
  • Thursday 17:00-19:30
  • Friday 16:15-17:45

City of Edinburgh Basketball Club Talent Programme

The City of Edinburgh Basketball Club Talent Programme is a partnership with schools, Active Schools, Basketball Scotland and sportscotland to enable us to support and develop our most talented athletes to ensure they fulfil their potential. Athletes will be pushed to challenge their skills and prepare themselves for training in a high performance environment.

Programme Goal
To increase the dedicated time on task for identified athletes seeking to establish a high performance culture and work ethic focused on skill acquisition in preparation for elite competition through:

  • Individual Skill Workouts (before/after school/around club sessions)
  • Strength & Conditioning (including individual plans for warm ups)
  • Individual Player Mentoring/Management Meetings
  • Video Analysis/Game Feedback
  • Physiotherapy/Injury Prevention
  • Dietician Food/Hydration Advice
  • Sports Psychology
  • Contacts & Exit Strategy

Each player will have an individual timetable based on their requirements and other commitments. The charge for the programme will be based on the individual timetable. No one will be excluded from the programme for financial reasons as there will be financial help available if required.

Player Identification Process
Players will be identified by club coaches and invited onto the programme based their potential on court and off court attributes.

Benefits of Talent Programme
This programme will allow players the ideal framework within which to improve their game to the highest standard possible. This in turn will benefit the Club, school and national teams as they will lead by example in their professionalism and dedication. The Talent Programme will dovetail with and complement other development programmes such as Basketball Scotland’s Youth Player Pathway.