Dover Dynamix I need your help to enable me to support young adults and their families who are keen to play basketball.

I grew up in a community where sport was a leisure activity, and when costs got tight it was the 1st thing to get cancelled. I realised in my mid 20's that I had the skill and ability to play at club level, but never got the opportunity. I turned to coaching and looking to give that opportunity to others.

So here I am at age 60, having labelled myself as a community coach many years ago, much of what I have achieved has been to benefit others. I have created and run Hemel Sharks, and now Dover Dynamix basketball clubs. I campaigned and installed an Outdoor court at Northridge Park Hemel Hempstead, supported Hemel Storm and Hemel Wolves as both paid and volunteer coach. I took young adults into the biggest 3x3 tournament in the UK, kickstarted numerous young men into club basketball via a targeted programme in an area identified as one where young adults were at risk of falling into crime.

I find myself on the verge of exhaustion with the red tape involved in applying for funding, and the lack of basketball infrastructure in my new area. Even dealing with limited availability and high basketball court costs is a struggle. It is heart wrenching to hear from a teenager that he/she cant afford the fees to train at one of my sessions, I regularly fund them myself, and have in the past equipped some teenagers too. The families are under financial pressure with the cost of living crises. I watch the kids slip for the sake of a decent pair of trainers, or only practice once a week as they don't have a basketball, even the transport fees to attend a session can be restrictive. I do everything I can to minimise these costs, even driving to collect and return some attendees.

Your contributions will go into my community account, and I will be able to continue to assess and support young adults. Help them focus on something other than post covid anxieties or crime, phones and apps, and hopefully put them on a sporting pathway that will see them playing sport into their 60's+