COMPETITIONS

National Leagues and Cups

The Leagues run at three levels:

• Elite (Men's Only)
• Performance (Male & Female)
• Participation (Male & Female)

The Cups run at two levels:

• Elite (Men's Only)
• Non-Elite Cup (Male & Female)

All of the above leagues and cups for the 2011/12 season are available to view from our fixtures and results page.  

Regional & National Championships

British Colleges Sport runs Regional and National Basketball events for males and females. FE Colleges have the opportunity to represent their region in the National Championships run by British Colleges Sport.  Please visit:  http://champs.bcsport.org - our micro site which covers all things in relation to our Regional and National championships events.

ORIGINS OF BASKETBALL

Basketball was invented in December 1891 by the Canadian clergyman, educator, and physician James Naismith. Naismith introduced the game when we was an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts.

At the request of his superior, Dr. Luther H. Gulick, he organized a vigorous recreation suitable for indoor winter play. The game involved elements of American football, soccer, and hockey, and the first ball used was a soccer ball. Teams had nine players, and the goals were wooden peach baskets affixed to the walls.

By 1897-1898, teams of five became standard. The game rapidly spread nationwide and to Canada and other parts of the world, played by both women and men; it also became a popular informal outdoor game. U.S. servicemen in World War II (1939-1945) popularised the sport in many other countries.

A number of U.S. colleges adopted the game between about 1893 and 1895. In 1934 the first college games were staged in New York City's Madison Square Garden, and college basketball began to attract heightened interest. By the 1950s basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball.