After 9 months of hard work on and off the court, the FIMBA GB +40 Women had their final training camp at the weekend before heading the FIMBA World Championships in Ticino, Switzerland at the end of the month.
The group and fixtures were announced in the days leading up to the camp, which allowed the coaching team to put a real focus on the session. Playing Germany and Puerto Rico in the initial Group stages, they know they are going to have to be at their best.
After analysing the player feedback from the past sessions, the coaching team set out the aims for the camp and how that would transpire into the games and the tough opposition we will face.
The session started with a run through of the go to offence that really works well with this group and plays to their strengths as a team. Minor tweaks were made throughout in terms of positioning and timing, but the coaches were pleased with what they saw.
This session felt different, the team were locked in from the word go and were enjoying being on court together. It relaxed them and the difference really showed. I’d say it was the best I’ve seen them play in the two years I’ve been involved.
Assistant Coach, Bruce Lauder
The session then expanded to game scenarios, with the coaches picking up the slightest details as individuals, and as a team to really perfect what was happening on court and the teams being encouraged to be vocal on offence, which focussed the movements.
A high paced and tough shooting drill served as a “rest bite” from the playing intensity, but they were soon back on it as the coaches tweaked the various defences they will be playing at the Championships.
The final game was of a very high quality as the coaches mixed up the lineups so they are prepared for the different personnel and teams they could be faced with in Switzerland.
As the curtain came down on another successful training period for the team, they received their tournament “swag” bags and completed their final paperwork before heading home to continue their individual fitness plans in the final two weeks.
It was a great session to finish with. A few niggles, but everyone came through unscathed and is in a good position to do well. We know we will face better individual players, but our strength remains the team. We are such a close unit on and off the court and the ethos of playing hard to make your teammate better really rings true. The fact we continue to have players not available for Switzerland coming to our sessions to help guide and support the wider team is a testament to the FIMBA GB Family we have built. We’re looking forward to the adventures, competition, experiences and new friends we always make at these tournaments. I also want to thank all of our partner sponsors for their support in our journey. Being fully self-funded is tough, but their contributions whether financial or volunteering with physio and sports therapy really helps make this possible. Let’s go GB!
Assistant Coach, Bruce Lauder
The team are highly supported off court and would like to take this opportunity to thank all the partners who have made this journey possible: Care Days; Dewsbury Rooms, Global Travel Worldwide; Kitqueen, Langley Mechanical Services; Shakers and White Trees Group. For more details on the FIMBA GB +40 Women click here or to keep up to date with the their journey to the World Championships in Switzerland, follow gbforties on Instagram and Facebook.
If you are interested in partnering the +40 Women and support their journey in 2025 and beyond, you can find all the relevant details on our partners page.
