Professional basketball players reach new heights with Northumbria

Elite basketball players from across Europe, including Paris Olympians, are preparing for life outside of the court by studying a newly designed Postgraduate  Business and Management course focusing upon the Business of Sport at Northumbria University, Newcastle.

The players were taking part in FIBA Europe’s Time Out 3.0 education programme that helps professional basketball players build careers when they retire from the sport. FIBA Europe, the European office of the Basketball World Governing body FIBA, has been working in partnership with Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School to deliver the programme since it was launched in 2017.

This year’s cohort of 44 students from 28 different nationalities included recent Paris Olympic medallists Valeriane Ayayi of France, Netherlands' Arvin Slagter and Vega Gimeno of Spain. They will aim to follow on from the 128 previous participants that have successfully completed the programme previously - combining their basketball careers with studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Business and Management.

FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa and FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak both gave opening words to welcome the participants via Zoom, to mark the launch of the workshop.

"The TIME-OUT program ensures that the skills and experiences gained as athletes are not just left behind but are carried forward into new careers and opportunities," commented Mr Garbajosa.

"As someone who transitioned from the court to a new role in leadership, I understand the challenges that come with this change – and I'm sure that TIME-OUT will help with this transition."

Vincent Robson, Business Development Manager at Northumbria, added: “Partnering with an organisation like FIBA Europe and working with some of Europe’s top professional basketball stars, some of whom have just represented their country and won Gold Medals in the Paris Olympics or European Championships and play in top European leagues is hugely prestigious. Northumbria has worked closely with FIBA to design effective and flexible academic courses that offer enhanced career opportunities to as many elite players as possible across Europe. The success of TIME-OUT and the positive outcomes for students reflects the strength of Continuing Professional Development courses that we run at Northumbria with our partners.”