Community

We aim to inspire children and young people to achieve their full potential, by offering a full pathway, linking sporting achievement and academic attainment. Each child’s journey has to start somewhere with a first bounce of the ball, and Essex Rebels offer a range of engagement activities that present that first opportunity to take a step on that pathway.

Basketball is the second most popular participation team sport among young people according to Sport England data, partly due to high levels of ‘street cred’ that has the sport has, and is an excellent vehicle for engaging with children and young people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures.

Essex Rebels Reach links basketball engagement activities in secondary schools with higher education experience visits. Targeted at schools in wards within Essex with historically low rates of progression to higher education, this programme engages young people with basketball and arranges visits on to the campus of the University of Essex, where they can experience for themselves what life at university is like. Participants also hear from basketball scholarship students about their journeys and progression to higher education.

To find out more about the Essex Rebels Reach programme contact our Sports Development Coordinator (community and schools), Claire Paxton: [email protected]

Taking place during school holidays at the Essex Sport Arena, Essex Rebels holiday camps are for all aspiring basketball stars of the future.

Children learn the fundamentals of basketball, such as dribbling, shooting techniques and passing drills. Children also have the chance to meet our professional players as well as win prizes and tickets to Rebels matches.