About Us
Rossendale Raptors Basketball Club provides opportunities for junior and senior basketball for men and women from the Rossendale Valley and beyond. We have senior teams competing in the England Basketball National League and Manchester Area Basketball League (MABL) Men's and Women's divisions. The club also has a junior basketball development program providing basketball coaching, development and competitive league games for girls and boys aged 8 and over.
Competition
The juniors compete in weekend tournaments and in the Lancashire Basketball Association league.
Sponsors
The club is proudly sponsored by several local and national businesses including ASK Solicitors, CSG, Rider Hunt, HD Signs, Rossendale Borough Council amongst others. As a club we are looking to establish links into the community and hope to further increase, in particular, our relationships with local schools.
Rossendale Basketball Club has a basketball opportunity for people of all ages and abilities.
Training
Please visit our various pages for details of when the various teams practice. We have an open door policy and players of any age and ability are wlecome.
If you would like any further details please contact us for more information on our contact page.
Rossendale Basketball Club History
Founded in 1962 by a group mainly consisting of ex BRGS students under the name of Old Rossendalians, the club has evolved dramatically over its 47 year history and is now building strong foundations to ensure it celebrates its 50th Anniversary stronger and more successful than ever.
Even in its infancy, the club progressed rapidly through the ranks of basketball in the region, with an invitation in 1968 to join the Manchester and District League 1st division, where it remained for 15 years, changing its name along the way to the now familiar Rossendale Basketball Club in order to entice more players from throughout the valley and beyond.
In 2001 the club realised that in order to safeguard its future, it would need to expand the junior section. With the help of Rossendales Sports Development Officer, the club applied for and received a lottery grant to expand its offering. It then ran a 3 v 3 competition which was advertised in Rossendale and Accrington schools and brought together large numbers of local youngsters with a keen interest in basketball. The youth structure was quickly up and running and now caters for 55 boys and girls aged between 9 and 18.
Three years ago the seniors relegated to division two, and a disillusioned group of players, wearing tired old kit, struggling to pay for facilities started to wonder whether there was a future for the club. Indeed, for a time it looked like the end of the road, but in the face of adversity came the decision to fight! Stalwarts of the club like Roger Fulton and Andy Chicken, who have volunteered their time selflessly for decades were determined not to watch it slip away. The junior involvement was stronger than ever and the coaching staff and volunteers were desperate to prevent the young talent go to waste.The senior program has teams in the National League and the local Manchester Area Basketball League.
With some hard graft, the club is finally seeing a turnaround in fortune. Ken Masser, has taken the helm and helped to attract new players from throughout the valley and beyond and the senior squad now has excellent strength and a new, rejuvenated team spirit. In the lsat two years the men's team was promoted from Division 2 to Division one and then won the division 1 league and playoff titles. The Club has continued to grow in size, and in our 50th season we won the National League Division 4 league and playoff titles gaining promotion to National League Division 3. The Raptors also recently hosted a pre season friendly against the BBL Manchester Giants.