National League and European Wheelchair Basketball

As well as having the opportunity to compete in the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Championships, scholars will also be able to compete in the British Wheelchair Basketball League, with 13 National League clubs within between forty minutes and two hours' drive of the university.

This would allow scholars to compete not only in nine BUCS matches, plus any number of friendly matches for the university squad, but up to an additional sixteen British Wheelchair Basketball (BWB) National League games, providing competition in a variety of environments.

Should student-athletes be interested in continuing their basketball career professionally once they have completed their studies, Nottingham’s great transport links mean they would be within two hours' drive of four airports, providing easy access to visit many of Europe’s top professional clubs, allowing scholars to make more informed choices about which club has the potential best fit for them.

Having played professionally in Europe for fifteen years, Head Coach Joe Bestwick is also well placed to advise scholars about the pros and cons of playing in Europe and can help provide contacts to a variety of programmes across the continent.

These connections make the University of Nottingham a perfect choice for scholars who wish to have a career playing professionally in Europe, but who are also serious about planning for their life after sport. The university is ideally placed for home-based athletes to experience potentially their first taste of elite level facilities and training, alongside the BWB Talent Pathway, before transitioning into a professional club, while simultaneously providing a stepping stone for internationally based athletes to experience living in the Europe and playing high-level wheelchair basketball, whilst not compromising on their education.