Introducing The Coventry and Warwickshire Crusaders Wheelchair team

The Coventry and Warwickshire Crusader Wheelchair team who now train and play all their home games at City College Tile Hill Lane Coventry have been around for some time but became part of the Coventry Crusader organisation for the 1995/96 season.

Since then the Coventry squad have both developed and made steady progress. They now play in Division 3 of the National League.

This season Division 3 will be divided into North and South sections and not North, South and Central as in previous years. Crusaders will therefore, be competing in the South section of the league which will see them travelling to Southampton, Farnborough and Colchester amongst other places this season

Preparations were going well and the team looked strong and relaxed when I popped in to meet them during pre season training, as they concentrated on their shooting and passing skills.

The aims for the up and coming campaign were are to gain promotion into Division 2 and to raise awareness here in Coventry of the teams existence, thus encouraging others to get in on the action.

If you have never been fortunate enough to see these guys play, then I can thoroughly recommend it.

The current squad consists of 12 players, male dominated but with a definite female presence and each with varying degree of disability. All have the same goal, to win, but not at the cost of having fun.

Paul Claridge has coached the team since their merger with the Crusader camp and all of his players name him as the biggest influence on their basketball.

His enthusiasm for the game is infectious as is his admiration and support for each member of his squad.

Already a qualified coach, 33 year old Paul had been playing basketball for 21 years before taking up his current role.

Coach Claridge who takes one of the two permitted able bodied player places in the squad, found the challenge of learning to play the game sitting down, hard but with great rewards.

Just being part of this team and seeing their advancements gives him an obvious but at the same time humble satisfaction.

He knows he has a good team but nevertheless is always on the look out for new talent to develop and has been known to stop people in the street if he sees potential, just as he did to his latest recruit, Neill Gardner.

When I met Neill he admitted to having so far played just ten hours of basketball, but was already hooked on the opportunity and enjoyment it was giving him and appeared to be eagerly awaiting the start of the competitive season.

There is little difference between the wheelchair game and the standard game, the rules are the same and it is just as fast and exciting and the competition just as strong.

Never the less, there is obviously the need of additional equipment, and that does not come with out a cost.

The team’s current chairs were donated six years ago by RGK but are now in need of replacement.

However, due to lack of sponsorship, the team are very much self funding and so are trying hard between themselves to raise the money for their every day running costs not to mention new chairs which work out at between £2000 and £3000 each.

Lack of the most up to date equipment will never deter this devoted bunch from playing basketball, whilst they continue to wait patiently for a sponsor to take up their cause and help provide them with the equipment to enable them to fulfill their full potential and compete on equal terms with the rest of the league.

The Crusaders Wheelchair team will play their first home game at City College Tile Hill on Saturday 8th November when they welcome Bristol Pirates. Tip Off 12 Noon