About CIA
CIA Basketball: 15 Years in the Community
HOW DID IT ALL START?
CIA Basketball was established 15 years ago by Tony Brown and Freddie Roberson, both Pastors of churches in South Croydon. Both had sons of similar ages and were alarmed at the lack of constructive activities and positive role models in the local community, especially male role models. The project aimed to reach young men and women at street level and give them a focus that would enable them to apply what they learnt on the court to how they interacted in society.
In the summer of 1995 the club ran three sessions at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. The support was overwhelming, getting roughly 50 young men and women on each occasion. With an obvious demand for the project, CIA Basketball was born. After some time training, a team was formed and later the team would go on to great success, reaching National League competition that would pave the way for the Sutton Pumas.
6 years ago CIA Basketball began coaching in schools. Through their continual work within the community it was clear that by giving young people a focus from an early age the club would be able to prevent many from wandering down a bad path and instead channel them towards a constructive project that is available all year around. CIA’s philosophy is based around mentoring, coming alongside and working with young players to place active, positive role models in the local community.
CIA Basketball began by coaching taster sessions in local Merton schools. After turning around a number of students schools had labelled as ‘problem kids,’ the club was quickly recommended to other schools and before long the project began to build momentum. In a short space of time the club went from coaching in 5-10 schools to 20 schools by 2006 and 40 schools a year later in 2007.
WHAT DO CIA DO NOW?
CIA now coach in over 40 schools, run a number of community sessions in partnership with GLL and work alongside young people with learning and behavioural difficulties and physical disabilities. Later this year CIA will launch a national coaching and mentoring program called HOOPS. The first phase of the launch will be aimed at 5-16 year olds and will roll out across all 130 leisure centres in GLL’s london-wide portfolio.
WHAT MAKES CIA DIFFERENT?
Most clubs are centered around a flagship team and have a goal of winning big in whatever division they enter. Therefore their main aim is to find only the very best players available, often at the expense of the rest. We develop from the opposite direction, taking players from any level and helping them to become better. Those who are gifted are filtered to as high a level as their abilities permit.
Our coaches play with players and work on court as mentors. We aim to motivate intrinsically (from within) rather than with shouting or threatening. As a club we hold three core values:
Discipline
Conduct
Character
