The FIMBA GB +40 Men have taken the decision not to enter the World Championships this season, giving them a chance to lay some solid growth foundations for the European Championships in Athens, Greece in 2026.
Head Coach AJ made the move to the +40 Men, having achieved great success with numerous European medals and a World Cup win in 2024 with the +35 Women.
As arguable the most competitive category at any FIMBA tournament, Coach AJ felt a new beginning was needed and a new task to further enhance the FIMBA GB values with a group of men who had played before at different levels to now become the only official +40 Great Britain Men’s team. Despite running only a few training sessions due to injuries and other commitments of the coaches and players, they still entered to the recent World Cup in Croatia to give some international exposure to the group and show what is required to compete at this level.
The Croatia experience was to be an enlightenment to the future of the team and a chance for me to assess and work out the way forward. With the team not travelling to Ticino, Switzerland it will give us a foundation to build on and get a really good unit available for when the European Championships come around again in Greece next year.
Coach AJ
A squad of nine players were able to travel to Croatia and create memories beyond belief. The first game was just a reminder of the strengths and qualities the team will need to bring when playing against European competition. It was a learning process that the team and Coach AJ needed to blend individuals together in the best fit for each situation. Towards the end of the first game, the guys grew into it and realised what was needed in this tournament. The second game was definitely the coming together of the group and a really enhanced performance saw them just fall short against an experienced Georgian team, which included an NBA player. The experience and the effort put into that game and the buzz from the said performance channelled all their energy and the final game against the team that eventually ran out winners of the tournament was just a step too far in such a short progression line.
Along with other experiences and sightseeing opportunities this was a fabulous tournament to see the group get tighter together. On returning to the UK the squad was straight back to it, with several new, enthusiastic players, who upon hearing and seeing social media footage about the team were wanting to get involved. Training sessions leading up to the GB Masters will see even more people come, which will then give Coach AJ a good headache going forward-as to the future of the FIMBA GB +40 Men’s team.
For more details on the FIMBA GB +40 Men click here or if you are interested in partnering the +40 Men and support their journey in 2026, you can find all the relevant details on our partners page.
