Milton Keynes Breakers Basketball Club have received national recognition, winning the prestigious Pitman and Prior award for 2022 Community Club of the Year from Basketball England.
The award recognises not only the club’s efforts to provide basketball for as many people in Milton Keynes as possible, but also the impact the club has outside of the basketball court, working with various partners and charities to promote positive social change within the city.
The MK Breakers currently provide basketball for over 900 young people from Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas across their 5 satellite clubs. 2022 also saw the launch of the Breakers Community Basketball League (CBL), a community focused league that gives the clubs young people an opportunity to play competitive games, whilst also acting as an environment to develop young coaches and officials.
The Breakers field 12 teams (8 male, 4 female) in the Junior National Leagues, all of which are competing at the top of their leagues, with the U18 Men recently reaching the National Cup semi-finals due to be played in January 2023. The success of the club’s U18 team is well supported by a partnership with the 5 Dimensions Trust, the home of the MK Breakers Academy at Shenley Brook End School and Hazeley Academy, that allows students to combine their studies with an elite basketball training program.
2022 also saw the launch of the MK Breakers Senior Men’s team, marking the return of senior men’s basketball in Milton Keynes a decade after the MK Lions (now London Lions) departed for the capital. As well as providing a playing platform for the clubs most talented junior players, the team was able to attract local talent back to the area in the form of Blayne Freckleton, Jordan Spencer, Luke Gregory and Michael New Jr. The team has proved very popular thus far, regularly selling out home games of 300+ people at Bletchley Leisure Centre.
The Breakers Men are undefeated in 2022, sitting at 7-0 in NBL 3 East, on track for promotion in their first season. The story of the season so far has been the Breakers’ remarkable run in the National Cup, defeating 2 NBL Division 2 teams, and 3 NBL Division 1 teams to reach the semi-finals of the competition. This has set up an away match-up with undefeated NBL Division 1 leaders Hemel Storm on the 8th of January. Tickets available here.
Commenting on the award, Club Chairman Peter Taylor said “What a fantastic way to finish a fantastic year. I couldn’t be prouder of our achievements on and off the court. As well as providing basketball for over 900 boys and girls, we also strive to be better citizens of our new City. I would like to personally thank everyone who makes this club so special, our coaches, players, volunteers, partners, and parents.”
“As we embark on 2023, we look to solidify the foundations we have put in place whilst continuing to expand our offering. We are determined to have parity with our offering for both males and females, with plans to strengthen our Girls academy and launch a senior women’s side. We will also launch the MK Sports Collective, a charity that will work with several local schools to provide a sportswear recycling project for the young people of Milton Keynes.”
To get involved with the MK Breakers or for more information, contact Club Chairman pete@mkbasketball.club. You can also keep up to date with the club across our various social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
