With 50 days to go until the 17th FIMBA World Maxibasketball Championship in Ticino, Switzerland, we look at their preparations.
In the 12 months since the +50 Men took part at the European Championships in Pesaro there have been wholesale changes to the look and feel of the squad. With many new faces added to strengthen and deepen the squad that weren’t available previously and with a new Head Coach taking over from the excellent work of building a core of talent by Dom Short, the +50 Mne look and feel like strong contenders for this year’s World Championships in Ticino.
Over the course of the year the team has gelled fast, they have a whole new offensive and defensive playbook that has been drilled and honed over the monthly training sessions, as a group they look and feel like they have been teammates for years and not 8 months. Five core squad members seamlessly blending with eight “rookies” are providing Head Coach Mark Taylor with some pleasant “headaches” going into the tournament for rotations.
It’s an embarrassment of riches really, I have the options to go big, fast, slow, powerful, score outside and in with the guys at the moment, my job is now to use the depth at my disposal to counter anything that gets thrown at us
Coach Taylor
The build up has been busy for the squad with it dipping it’s toe in the waters of International Competition at the World Cup in Croatia in April, a weekend showdown with Plymouth Raiders in May and then jetting off to Switzerland late June into what is shaping up to be a massive event across 3 cities and 10 days, with 52 teams registered in the age category, and a strong showing is expected by both players and staff.
Newly appointed Captain Danny James is no stranger to International play having represented England at U23 level some 27 years previous:-
I’m really looking forward to Switzerland, I think I can also speak for the team in this too. The mood in our camp is high, we’ve had a really competitive year to date. With just one more weekend camp left It’s all about minor details and the roles and responsibilities that will help us succeed. Roll on Ticino
Danny James, +50 Men Captain
For more details on the FIMBA GB +50 Men click here or if you are interested in partnering the +50 Men and support their journey in 2025, you can find all the relevant details on our partners page.
