Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Jul 2013 | Page 40

basketballscotland Annual Report COMPETITIONS AND EVENTS National School Competition It was another exciting year in the school competition which continued to operate using the regional pools implemented in 2010. This structure has been received well by the majority of the schools and has increased the number of games played. Following the completion of the pool games, qualifying games took place. The Quarter Finals arose from a home or away draw against teams from other regions, taking into account the travel distances for teams in the outer lying areas. This allowed schools to promote their own facilities and made for a more “National” feel to the knockout stages. The winner of these games progressed to centralised venue Semi Finals, being played over 2 days at Grangemouth Sports Centre. This allowed additional teams, and individuals who had not experienced this type of event before, the opportunity to play in a national event. Following the general success of overall format we once again had Finals scheduled to take place over two days. The days saw 8 games played, and with many National League and National Squad players. There was some sensational basketball on show and was a real positive foundation that can be built on going forward. There was a small reduction in the number of schools entered but, on a positive note, some of these were new. On investigation, this reduction was due to schools cutting extracurricular activity budgets, or lack of staff resources, rather than a conscious decision not to enter the competition. The overall number of teams increased for 2012-13 which meant some schools entered teams at more age groups and, therefore, creating a pathway for young players. This correlates with the Cashback for Communities work being delivered by our Regional Officers at the Primary level. A total of 394 games took place throughout the country. Special mention should go to Arbroath High School who competed in no fewer than 4 finals. Statistics follow: Falkirk High—S1 Boys 37 Arbroath Girls—U14 Girls