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25 September 2009

Chief Operations Officer

Jimmy Quigley, formerly of Manchester City Council, has been appointed by the Board of Trustees, as 'Chief Operations Officer' of the Club from Thursday 1 October 2009.

25 July 2009

Head Coach Vacancy

We have a full-time post available as Head Coach of our Basketball Academy which links the Loreto College Academy in Manchester with the Junior National League development programme. The post is available from September 2009.

Expressions of interest to Joe Forber by email: mmagic@tesco.net or telephone: 01625-527867 or 07790-686496 please.

12 July 2009

Ladies' Sessions

On Sunday mornings at Amaechi Basketball Centre, we run a fun session for ladies and young girls of any age. It begins at 9:30am and finsihes at 10:45am. Players of any ability are welcome. For more details, contact Sue Elly on 07747-459315.

2 July 2009

Under 14 Girls at Sheffield

Last weekend, the Under 14 Girls travelled to Sheffield for a Tournament. Results were:

Coach Chris Straker says: ' The girls did really well and learnt a lot throughout the day, playing 4 games back-to back'.

We have a coaching vacancy for our Women's Division 2 coach, possibly to link it with our outstanding Under 18 girls squad.

Any interested coaches should contact Joe Forber by email: mmagic@tesco.net or phone: 07790-686496 as quickly as possible.

24 June 2009

Coaching Vacancy

We have a coaching vacancy for our Women's Division 2 coach, possibly to link it with our outstanding Under 18 girls squad.

Any interested coaches should contact Joe Forber by email: mmagic@tesco.net or phone: 07790-686496 as quickly as possible.

15 June 2009

Scottish Visitors

The Scottish Under 14 Boys were at ABC last weekend (13/14 June) and gave an excellent account of themselves. With a very talented and well-disciplined squad, they were a little too good for the Manchester Boys.

On Saturday, we split our boys into 2 equal teams to play the Scots, and on Sunday, we played a single select team against them.

We would like to thank most sincerely the Scots party for coming to Manchester to compete against our teams.

The Scots girls were also competing against the Mystics:

The games between the squads provided tough competition and were well contested and played in great spirit. Everyone has learnt a lot from these early season challenges. Many thanks to all those who organised and officiated throughout a great weekend of basketball.

3 May 2009

Final Fours

4, from a possible 6, of our Age-Group teams will be at RAF Cosford this weekend, 2/3 May, to take part in the Final Fours:

Congratulations to all teams and coaches, especially the Under 16 Boys who won their Final, and John Gould who was awarded Under 16 MVP, and the Under 14 Boys who won their Final, with Greg Krippa as MVP.

Interestingly, while the U16 Boys were playing their Final and the Under 14 Girls were playing in the 3/4 play-off, 3 brothers and sisters were playing at the same time: Tom and Natalie Joyce, Luke and Catherine Meakin and Jake and Millie Campbell!

19 April 2009

Play-off Progress

The next round of play-off games for our teams are:

5 April 2009

Play-off News

After all our teams' play-off games last weekend, results were:

For results see Results pages and Tables pages.

29 March 2009

Play-off News

All our Age Group teams have reached the play-off stages this season. Games to come are:

See results pages for results of these games.

Manchester Magic and Manchester Mystics are also on course for making the Play-offs: Magic should be at home on Saturday 4 April, and Mystics look like being away on 4/5 April. Opposition still unknown!

20 March 2009

Senior Men's & Women's National Final Fours at ABC

The Amaechi Basketball Centre will be the venue for this year's Senior Final Fours, on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th April 2009.

To obtain tickets, apply to Chris Donnelly or Richard Hill at the Amaechi Basketball Centre, Whalley Range High School, Wilbraham Road, Whalley Range, Manchester. M16 8GW or by phone 0161-881-0090, before 14 April. After this date, tickets may still be obtained at the Centre, in person, and they will also be available at the door on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING, CLEARLY.

Please make cheques payable to' Greater Manchester Community Basketball'.

Please note, we are not able to accept Credit Cards or Debit Cards.

Mailing address, contact number, costs and cheque must accompany the application

27 February 2009

11 February 2009

Chief Operations Officer

We are now in a position to advertise for a Chief Operations Officer for the Club.

Expressions of interest should be made to Joe Forber, by email gmybc@tesco.net

Chief Operations Officer

• To be directly responsible for the day-to-day running of activities connected with the Club.
• To report to and be responsible to the Board of Trustees, which is the decision-making body of the Club, and to be the direct line-manager to all staff and volunteers within the Centre.
• To manage and support the staff, both paid and voluntary, at the Amaechi Basketball Centre, on a daily basis.
• To represent the Board of Trustees and follow its directives at all times.

There are 4 main arms to our Club:

• Community

This includes the organisation of Community Centre Leagues, links with external schools’ programmes and a close working relationship with the Manchester Basketball Development Officer, which is a joint, partnership post between Manchester City Council and the Club. 

The Chief Operations Officer will spend considerable time on this community work, to ensure that all facets of it are professionally managed, in keeping with the Club’s standards and expectations.

• Senior Magic and Mystics

Both of these teams currently play in Division 1 of the EB Leagues.  Much of the administration is done by volunteers.

The Chief Operations Officer will oversee and support the administration of these teams. Marketing and Promotion has always been a weakness at the Club and there is significant work to be done here.

• Boys and Girls Development Programmes 11 – 20 years

We currently have 12 teams playing in the National Leagues within these age groups.  The Chief Operations Officer will support these programmes but much of the work will not be his/her responsibility.  Generally, it is volunteers who coach and administer the many teams involved in these programmes.

• Events

We have an Events Team, which consists mainly of volunteers.  The Events programme is growing year-on-year and we have very strong links with England Basketball and Manchester City Council in the delivery of these events.

The Chief Operations Officer will be expected to support the Events Team in any way appropriate or necessary.

7 February 2009

The Club

Manchester Magic Club was formed in 1998 and had just 2 Under 17 National League Boys teams at that time.  We had no home venue, very few players and no money.

Since those days, we have made great strides in our development and currently we have 14 National League teams (Boys and Girls), a very large community programme, both inside and outside of Amaechi Basketball Centre, Senior Magic and Mystics teams which play in the top Divisions of the EB Leagues, and we have our own 3-court Amaechi Basketball Centre in Whalley Range, Manchester.

The rapid growth of the Club has outstripped the management structure and we are in the process of re-organising and re-structuring all that we do within the Club, at all levels.

We are a not-for-profit organisation and have charitable status.

The Club has formulated new documents on philosophy and new charters for players, coaches and parents. There will be more documents to come.

We shall shortly be advertising for a Chief Operating Officer to manage the Amaechi Basketball Centre and its activities.

CLUB PHILOSOPHY

• To provide basketball activities to all members, regardless of gender, ability, race, religion, sexual orientation or socio/economic status.
• To create conditions whereby all members have the opportunity to reach their full potential as players, coaches, officials and as people.
• To particularly stress the development of youngsters in their formative years.  To use sport as a vehicle to give youngsters good principles, values and disciplines, which will serve them well throughout their lives.
• To ensure that all members maintain the highest standards of sportsmanship and fair play at all times.
• To further the ideals of teamwork, friendship and self-discipline.
• To create a sporting environment which will benefit the individual, whilst always being aware that we are involved in a team sport and that all efforts should be directed towards the team.
• To recognise the partnership between players/parents and the Club. Both sides have their responsibilities to make the partnership mutually beneficial.
• To stress to coaches that leadership by example will always be superior to leadership by fear.  A positive approach by coaches will always be superior to a negative approach. Ultimately, the team will be a reflection of the coach. Intimidation or bullying by coaches, players, parents, staff or volunteers is wholly unacceptable.  
• To stress the philosophy for all players and coaches, that giving of their best is a victory, regardless of the score, and giving less than their best is a failure, even if a victory is attained.
• To stress the concept of loyalty throughout the Club, which will be much easier to attain by creating a caring attitude amongst all people connected with the Club.
• To stress the importance of education to go alongside any ambitions as a basketball player. 
• For our Club to be successful at all levels, we expect our players, coaches and parents to conduct themselves in a courteous and polite manner at all times.

Players, Parents, Coaches

The Club is a partnership between players, parents, coaches and volunteers.  It is vital that all 3 partners know and understand the Club expectations at all times.  Good relationships between the partners are essential to help the Club to function for the benefit of the youngsters. 

We expect our players, parents and coaches to conduct themselves in a courteous and polite manner at all times, so that they are representing the Club with pride, respect and good sportsmanship.

We expect that there is an appreciation by all that the education of the player takes priority over basketball and that the player has the complete support of all parties in this regard. 

Players

• Must be able to give total and absolute effort to the team at all times.  i.e. in games, practices and supporting from the bench.
• Must show respect towards their team-mates, coaches, referees and opposition players.
• Must conduct themselves in a respectful manner at all times and never do anything, on or off the floor, to bring discredit to the Club.
• Must appreciate that it is a privilege to be able to use Amaechi Basketball Centre, which is the best facility of any club in the country.  It should never be taken for granted.

Parents

Parents should:

• Encourage the youngsters to give their very best at all times in representing the Club.
• Encourage the youngsters to play by the rules and never to cheat to gain an advantage.
• Refrain from adverse criticism of the players, the team and the coach – it rarely has a positive effect and can do significant damage.
• Appreciate that, in the main, coaches are volunteers and put a tremendous amount of time into the development of the players and the team.
• Be willing to volunteer for the many tasks required to enable the Club to function in an efficient and professional way.
  

Coaches

Coaches should:

• Be responsible for their own behaviour and the behaviour of the team, whilst representing the Club. Maintain a professional and disciplined attitude at all times.
• Lead by example and ensure that all team members play by the rules and respect the rights of other players, coaches and officials.
• Keep uppermost that improving the basketball skills of the players and of the team, is secondary to the development of values and disciplines which will serve them for life.
• Make decisions based upon putting the interests of the youngsters first at all times.
• Be totally honest with the players at all times.
• Give all players a fair and equal opportunity to find a role within the team.  Favouritism should not be a part of our Club ethos.
• Make the health and safety of the players a priority.  Never place winning over the safety and welfare of the players.
• Show who you are, what you stand for, your values and principles.  Always remember, good values attract good people.
• Form a relationship with parents which is mutually beneficial and from which the players can only benefit.
• Remember that school and family responsibilities should be respected.
• Try to make every member of the team feel valued.
• Try to avoid harsh, public criticism of the players – it rarely helps.

Players, parents, and coaches, these may help:

1.         Quote by Wilson Kipketer.  800 metres World Record Holder.  Kenya.

‘I want to pass on my love of running to younger athletes.  I would like younger runners to understand earlier than I did that winning a gold medal is not the difference between success and failure.

If you do anything in life to the utmost of your ability, you are always a winner, whether you come first or not.  Self-achievement is the key to happiness and well-being.  It is the key which has unlocked my life and I would like it to do the same for others’.

Dear Coach,

I just read your letter to my son telling us of your expectations for your players.  Johnny’s mother and I couldn’t agree more.  We’ve long recognised the value derived from sports.  Judging from your records, you must teach the game very well.  But there’s another phase of coaching that’s even more important.  Let me explain.
We are giving you our most prized possession.  Throughout the next few years, our son will make you one of our prime household conversations.  He will tell us about your emotional half-time talk when you came from behind and won the Championship.  When we are hearing all this talk, our son’s eyes will shine.  You see, coach, he’ll idolise you.  We don’t have heroes any more.  Many professionals would sell their souls for a pound.  Some sportsmen made the news this year in a very negative manner.  We know all athletes don’t cheat or do drugs, but that’s what we hear about.  So, you are our son’s hero.  We are relying on you.  His muscles are nearly developed, but his mind is still fragile, and so impressionable.  Your responsibilities are great.  Accept them with our trust and faith in you.  The world is full of gangs, drugs and violence because a kid picked the wrong hero.  But you can change that, by becoming the right hero – for our son.

13 January 2009

Auditions in Manchester

John Amaechi has asked us to advertise the Freestyle movie auditions. Auditions were held in London last weekend, and they went really well! Manchester auditions are taking place this Saturday, 17th January, from 10am – 1pm and 2pm – 5pm at the Sugden Sports Centre.

For full details and eligibility, look at the website: www.bebo.com/freestylemovie or email: freestyle@revolvergroup.com to register for a place.

5 January 2009

Under 15/16 Boys Tournament

Saturday 3 January 2009

25 November 2008

Mystics Success

Despite two of the squad being struck by illness and being unable to play a number of the games, the North West girls produced some outstanding performances to finish a creditable 3rd in the Lilleshall competion this weekend.
Every one of the Mystics girls played out of their skins, and delighted us with some wonderful basketball.
With a full strength team, the result could have been even better, but we were so proud of how the girls responded in the face of adversity.
 
Their behaviour on and off the court was exemplary, and they were a credit to themselves, the North West Region and the Amaechi Basketball Centre.
All the girls have now been invited to attend regional APCs .
Ashey Tensel received special recognition for her performance over the weekend, and will now join the England development programme and Leah McDerment has been promoted to train with the England Under 16 squad.
This was a great experience for all the girls and hopefully they will all go on to bigger, better things.
 

11 November 2008

Message From Duncan Ogilvie

Dear Manchester Magic Family.
 
I hope all is well and the new season is starting well for all the teams and players. I wanted to write to you all and say thank you for the great season that i had last year. Being in Manchester was a very positive experience for me and enabled me to accomplish some things that I did not think I would get the chance to, like gaining my masters, winning the Cup, League and Playoffs as well as the MVP.
 
I had the opportunity to get back to Spain and play again, with the added incentive to be close to my girlfriend. This was not an easy decision as i would have loved to come back to the Magic and build on last year's success. However, it was a great chance for me and i could not turn it down. I hope that one day I will come back to Manchester and spend some more time with all you guys. It was a great time and you all treated me so well and were so accommodating to all my needs, so thank you so much.
 
Please stay in contact, and rest assured I will be keeping my eyes on the progress of the teams throughout the season. Best of luck.
 
All the best
Duncan
 
 

7 November 2008

MAGIC BOYS BASKETBALL TRIALS

If you want to play for the best Club in England, see below:

Date:      Saturday 15 November

Where:   Amaechi Basketball Centre, Whalley Range, M16 8GW
    Tel:0161-881-0090

Time:     12 noon to 2:00pm

Cost:      FREE

Who For: School Years 7, 8, 9 BOYS

23 September 2008

Mystics Under 14 Girls

Seven of the current Mystics Under 14s squad have been selected to represent the North West of England at Lilleshall in November.
They are Leah McDerment (Captain), Ashley Tensel, Mollie Campbell, Catherine Meakin, Danielle Johnson, Elisabeth Farley and Hannah Alty.
All the girls are thrilled and are looking forward to a great weekend of basketball. Congratulations to all these girls.

16 September 2008

Saturday Morning at ABC

The Primary School Saturday morning coaching/games has now re-started. It is available to School Years 3 - 6 at Primary School.

Just turn up and play!

15 September 2008

Monday Coaching Starts Today

15 September 2008

Magic v Jets

Manchester Magic will have their first home friendly game of the season at ABC on Wednesday evening, 17 September.

Watch this space for further details! Game will be played at 8:15pm

12 September 2008

FAMILY FUN DAY

A great day of basketball for basketball nuts. Only £5 per family.

Pre-book on-line by emailing magicfamilyfunday@yahoo.co.uk

Amaechi Basketball Centre, Whalley Range High School, Wilbraham Road, Whalley Range, Manchester M16 8GW

Telephone 0161-881-0090

16 August 2008

James Jones

After some sterling performances for the highly successful Guildford Pirates last season, James has decided to play closer to home this coming season.

He has signed a contract to play for Everton Tigers which will enable his family to see him play much more often. James was a surprising omission from the GB Men's squad and he will be trying hard to prove the selectors wrong with his performances on Merseyside.

James' brother, Callum, enters his third year at Pace University (Division 2 NCAA) whilst Jack Minister does the same at Clark University (Division 3 NCAA). Andy Thomson returns to Spain to play at a much higher level than last season, whilst Andrew Lovedale tries to fulfil his NBA ambitions by continuing his outstanding progress at Davidson College (Division 1 NCAA) in his final year.

26 July 2008

DANIEL WHELAN

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Daniel Whelan, who was a valued member of our highly successful Junior team last season.

Daniel was taken ill a few days ago whilst visiting friends in Spain and died shortly afterwards of meningitis.

Daniel somehow managed to play 2 sports to a high level, rugby and basketball, whilst studying for his A levels at Bolton School.

He came late to our National League programme but made rapid progress, due to his determination to succeed and his enthusiasm for the game. Highly popular with his team mates, he will be sadly missed by all at the Club.

His family, father Mike, mother Cathy, brothers Jordan and Patrick and sister Julia are all intimately involved with our Club and Centre. We send our heartfelt condolences to them all at this sad time.

16 July 2008

MANCHESTER YOUTH GAMES

Manchester Boys (Under 13s) won the Trophy at the Youth Games held last Saturday at Sport City. They beat Trafford in their Semi-final and Rochdale in the Final. Pictures of the event are on www.flickr.com/photos/28586563@N06

Manchester Girls were runners-up in their event.

Congratulations to both teams.

Greater Manchester now have a Boys' team and a Girls' team in the North West Tournament at Ellesmere Port on Sunday 20 July.

9 July 2008

YOUNG MYSTICS SUCCESS

Rosie Hynes (Mystics U16s) got her first taste of international duty when she represented England Under 16s development squad in Belfast. Full details of this are shown on Basketball Ireland link - www.basketballireland.ie

Holly Rush and Ashleigh Woodacre (Mystics U16s) were part of the team that won the Division 3  English Schools Basketball finals at the Nottingham Wildcats arena last weekend, playing for Wentworth School, Salford. Both girls contributed greatly during the games and were a credit to their club.

Congratulations to all these girls representing the Mystics.

12 May 2008

KORNEL TOBER

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Kornel Tober. Kornel died on May 3, 2008 at the age of 78.  He was a founder member of our Club and our most fervent supporter. Kornel has been an ever present in the Manchester Basketball scene for over 55 years from the very beginning of basketball at the Y.M.C.A. in the early 1950’s, until the present day.

Kornel was still to be seen, in very recent days, to be on the floor at ABC helping our players to improve their game.
 
His wisdom, both in life and in basketball, was a great support to many Club members who approached him for advice and counsel.

We shall all miss him.

The funeral arrangements are St Annes Church, Chester Road, Stretford, Manchester, M32 8LF  12:30pm on Tuesday 13th May.

11 May 2008

HONOURS FLOW IN

After the excellent season enjoyed by both Magic and Mystics Senior teams, due reward has been given to 3 members of the Club for their outstanding contributions towards our success:

Heartiest congratulations to these individuals and to the teams' success as well.

21 April 2008

Play-off Progress

Manchester Magic

Manchester Mystics

Under 15 Boys

Under 18 Boys

Under 14 Boys

Under 16 Boys

Under 16 Girls

Under 14 Girls

19 April 2008

Under 16 Boys at Cosford

(Peter Jacques' reports on games at Cosford. Others appear on Pawprint website www.pawprint75.co.uk/index.html)

Semi-Final

Hackney White Heat (22, 48, 61) 71  

Manchester Magic    (17, 29, 51) 70               

Hackney snatched victory in the last second of an incredible match which saw a huge swing in fortunes.

The Londoners raced into an early 12-5 lead, before Manchester pegged them back to 19-17, only for Helio Sampaio (who had eight of Hackney's last ten points) to give the White Heat a five point margin at the end of the quarter.

The teams exchanged baskets to 26-21, but then an incredible 18-3 spurt by Hackney put them 20 points ahead, and, with Ryan Martin in fine form, with eleven points in the quarter, they stretched away to 48-26, before settling for a nineteen point interval lead.

Manchester still trailed by sixteen (59-43) going into the last three minutes of the third, but an eight point run pulled the margin back to single figures, and at the end of the period they were just ten behind.

The first five minutes of the final quarter belonged exclusively to the Magic, as an 0-11 run, including six from Daniel Pilkington, gave them their first lead, 61-62, since early in the first!

A brief spurt from Hackney took them back ahead, 66-64, but the momentum was now with Manchester, and going into the final minute they had their biggest lead of the game, 66-69. Strong defence then kept Hackney away from the basket, and there were only 28½ seconds remaining in the game when Sampaio found the net to make it a one-point game. A foul on Kaphel Ulett-Waul enabled Manchester to increase the pressure on their opponents, as 1 of 2 from the stripe made it 68-70 to the Magic, and when Sam Oleyemi stole the ball and fed Jack Bedford, the foul on the latter gave him the chance to seal the win from the stripe with just 9 seconds remaining.

Though Beckford spurned both shots, under what must have been incredible pressure, the odds still favoured Magic, as they kept their opponents at a distance from the basket, but with just 1 seconds remaining on the clock Manchester's anguish was matched only by White Heat's ecstasy, as a long-range "3" from Sampaio found the net to clinch a remarkable victory.

Hackney: Martin 20; Inacio 14; McLean-Salmon 12; Sampaio 11; Taylor 6; Reid 2; Oladuji 1; Wilkinson [dnp]; Buchschacher [dnp]; Chin [dnp].  

Manchester: Pilkington 22; Townley 15; Olayemi 11; Clark 9; Ulett-Waul 5; Gardner 5; Taylor-Bell 3; Banks; Stainton [dnp]; Abbott [dnp]; Throup [dnp]; Bedford [dnp].

14 April 2008

Another Honour For Georgia

Despite the Mystics falling to Sheffield in the National Championships Semi-Final, there was some good news during the weekend for the Mystics. Georgia Jones was presented with the Under 18 Player of the Year award - fully deserved for her performances for the Mystics and Great Britain. She has been an outstanding representative of our Club, on and off the floor, and we can all be proud of her achievements. Georgia is considering several options for next season which will become clearer in the next few weeks.

More news to follow.

24 March 2008

Amazing Lovedale

Andrew Lovedale has been instrumental in 2 amazing performances by Davidson College (North Carolina) in the NCAA Tournament. Davidson are now in the Sweet Sixteen, with the ambition and confidence to go much further.

The first round saw them defeat the highly-rated Gonzaga by 82 - 76, with Andrew producing a sterling performance with 12 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

The team remained underdogs in the last 32 as they came up against the second-seeded Georgetown who made the Final Four last year. Despite being 17 points down at one stage, a brilliant come-back enabled them to win by 74 - 70. Andrew's 11 points and rugged rebounding were a major factor in the victory.

Davidson now go to Detroit, knowing that 2 more victories will get them to the Final Four. They meet the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday 28 March.

Andrew is being recognised nationally for his performances so far and for being a tough competitor who backs down from no-one.

We will continue to follow his progress.

18 February 2008

All Cup Finals Stats Click here

For Under 18 Cup Final Photos from Mike Arnfield Click here

17 February 2008

An all-day pass for this event will cost £5 for adults and £3 for children.

If you have any questions, please contact Brian Dobson at the ABC on 0161-881-0090

3 August 2007

Graham McCargo

Graham McCargo, one of most staunch Club supporters and volunteers, sadly died suddenly, on Sunday 29 July. Graham was responsible for the writing of reports on the Senior Magic and Mystics games for our website for many years.

He held the Club's principles in the highest regard at all times, and will be sadly missed by all. He was 68.

We send the Club's condolences to his wife, Gloria, and his children, Duncan, Wendy and Ian, and their families.

His funeral has been arranged for Thursday 9 August at Macclesfield Crematorium, at 2pm.

1

21 August 2002

Opening Ceremony a Roaring Success

The attendance at the ABC Opening Ceremony on Wednesday 14 August exceeded all expectations.

300 people attended, including top basketball officials, renowned sports people, sponsors, local City council dignitaries and the Lord Mayor.

After short speeches from Joe and Maggie Forber, the RAF gave a short presentation to indicate their continued support for National Cadet/Junior basketball - their sponsorship has been extended for another 3 years.

The new main sponsor, Bruntwood Estates, then outlined the details of their sponsorship for season 2002/2003 which will give support for the community programme at the Amaechi Basketball Centre. Bruntwood would like to give local youngsters the opportunity to achieve personal success in the sporting field and see ABC as an ideal opportunity to do this.

The evening was rounded off with a speech by John Amaechi of the Utah Jazz in the NBA, who eloquently indicated his philosophy and support for GMYBC. He has shown a long-term commitment to help the community and all at the Club are most grateful for all his efforts.

Photo by Chris Tofalos. www.ctp-photo.co.uk