With just 40 days until the 17th FIMBA World Championships in Ticino, Switzerland, we take a look at the +40 Women’s journey so far.
From humble beginnings with a handful of players, the GB Forties has seen the biggest change and growth on and off the court since 2021.
After disappointing European Championship and World Cup debuts in 2022 and 2023, where the team failed to pick up a single win, successful National League Coach – Tony Harrison – was appointed to lead the team and began the transformation in 2024.
Ex-player, Michelle Mayor, stepped away from playing and took over as Team Manager and Bruce Lauder was brought onboard from the multi-medal winning GB Wolfpack +40 Men as Assistant Coach. With players moving through the age groups – some going to the +50 Women, and some moving up form the +35 Women – the management team took stock of what they had and started to build around a core group of players who epitomised the FIMBA GB values.
Interest in the team began to grow in the first 12 months, as the squad expanded to over 20 players, but the core family feel, support for each other and drive to be better remained throughout. 2024 showed how far the team had come on court, as they won World Cup Silver and had a Top 10 finish in the European Championships, taking the eventual bronze medallists to triple overtime on the way.
With a strong social media presence, vibrant off court dynamic and team spirit, wherever this team goes they have fun, enjoy themselves and bring everyone along with them. The team were the most nominated in the inaugural FIMBA GB Awards, being shortlisted in all 8 categories as well as winning Photo of the Year, Most Improved Team and, most importantly, the Spirit of FIMBA award – for the team that best embraces the ethos of FIMBA and Masters basketball. As a result, the squad grew to over 35 players at the end of 2024, and received endorsements from Commonwealth medallists, Olympians and Paralympians alike.
This year’s journey to Ticino has continued on the solid foundations set in 2024, with some great additions to the already strong core, who have all bought in to the culture of “making each other better.” They returned from the World Cup with two more medals, a Silver and a Bronze, and continue to grow as a strong group off the court, making incredible memories whilst representing GB on the international stage.
I am so proud of how far this team has come in a relatively short period of time. It’s tough only training together once a month, but we really gel on and off the court. It’s a pleasure to be part of such a driven team, so much so that despite winning another Silver at the World Cup, we were disappointed not to come away with a Gold, which just shows the belief the coaches have instilled in us, and how much we want to succeed for each other. We are all self-funded, including our management team, so we are so thankful to all the sponsors that have supported us and help us on our journey.
Charlie Lauder – Captain
The team is a mix of players with international, professional, national and local league experience, showing that the game never stops and you are never too old to have the opportunity to represent your country, no matter what your previous playing experience. This will be the first time FIMBA has entered the World Championships and all 3 home nations will be represented in the team, as this group of incredible women continue to inspire those around them and the younger generation as to what is possible after “retiring” from basketball or starting families.
Switzerland will be the toughest test this team has ever faced, with 19 teams from various countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Estonia, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Mozambique, Puerto Rico and USA, but they go in with confidence of performing well. The draw for the groups takes place live on the FIMBA Youtube channel on Tuesday 27th May.
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.
