Sport In Profile UK Issue 15 | Page 42

Bristol Flyers FOLLOW US ONLINE twitter.com/sportinprofile preparations we have no chance of being a great team. Another role I have is going to the schools and teaching the kids basketball. Coaching the kids comes naturally to me because I taught my little brother how to play when we were growing up and I also coached AAU back home and when I was in Norway.” Atmosphere “Everyone at the club is very excited right now! Last season the Flyers set a new club record with their highest ever league finish in the BBL (7th) and we made the play-offs. We have a lot of our core players returning this season along with some new incoming players that have great talents. Our head coach, Andreas Kapoulas is also the head coach of the Great Britain U20 national team, and he’s coming off the back of earning promotion into Division A at the European Championships. We feel very confident in ourselves and we plan on making a great run in the BBL this season.” 2017 “I would say 2017 has been a great year for the club so far. We won 15 out of our last 21 regular season games to make the playoffs - we feel really good about this upcoming season! My plans for the rest of 2017 are to have a great pre-season and have a strong first half of the 2017/18 campaign. We have some good tests coming up 42 Issue 15 this September including the British Basketball All-Star Championship at The O2 Arena in London. The regular season then starts September 30th with a home game in the WISE Arena against our local rivals, Plymouth Raiders.” Community “We are definitely a community club! Some of the things I do in the community are going to schools and teaching the kids how to play basketball and coaching the camps and the kids end up coming to our games at SGS WISE Arena.” Challenges “Some of the biggest challenges for the club in the next five years will be competing for a top three or four finish every season. The two teams with a lot of tradition in the BBL are the Leicester Riders and the Newcastle Eagles. Those teams are very well coached and they bring in great players each and every year. Bristol has one of the best coaches in the league in Coach Kapoulas, a great training staff in the gym and I know they will continue to bring in talented players, so I think we’re definitely heading in the right direction.” Ambitions half term camps. When I go to the schools to teach, the kids are so excited to learn basketball from someone who is a professional. I think it’s a great opportunity for the kids and the club. The kids are being introduced to basketball, where here in the U.K. basketball is a minority sport. The club is getting the opportunity to get the kids and parents involved with our “The clubs ambitions are to keep improving every season! The Flyers want to keep increasing their wins and win championships! Over the next five years the Flyers will definitely become one of the best teams every season. The Flyers also want to get involved in international competition, such as the FIBA Europe Cup or the Basketball Champions League. The Flyers also want to keep growing their fan base. Bristol is a great place to have a BBL team and the people here are very supportive. Every game in 2017 has sold out and I wouldn’t be surprised if that streak continued into this season!”