The Charnwood Riders Academy is a result of the ongoing partnership between the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders and Charnwood Community College, and is now in its second year in operation, headed up by Riders Captain Barry Lamble.
The club are fundamentally a community based organisation, with Riders Satellite Clubs around the city and county, extensive coaching in Primary and Secondary Schools through the Molten 3 on 3 and Hoops 4 Health Programmes, and the Academy now provides somewhere for outstanding players within these structures to progress.

The hard work of Phil Gleadell, Head of PE at the College and Riders Assistant Coach, has been rewarded this season. The college are now delivering the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme. The initiative, endorsed by England Basketball, is only operated at eleven institutions nationally, and is a combination of emphasis on both Sporting excellence and Academic achievement, under the stewardship of Gleadell, and Riders Head Coach Rob Paternostro.

It gives the selected players a chance to progress both on and off the court, whether this is through links to American Colleges, the recognition of the AASE Programme by the majority of European Universities or through coaching, officiating and professional playing opportunities within the club.

On Thursday 1st October, the new AASE students went down to Sheffield for the Launch of the 2009/10 AASE programme nationally, with Paternostro featuring as a guest speaker. For more information about the day, please visit the England Basketball website at www.englandbasketball.co.uk.

If you would like to know more about the Riders Academy or Community work, please contact the Riders office on 01162558635, or send an e-mail to info@leicesterriders.co.uk with ‘Charnwood College’ in the Subject field. Alternatively, click on the link below to access an information sheet on the AASE programme with details of how to advance your application.