Seven Ireland Masters squads presented with caps at National Basketball Arena

All seven squads, ranging from men's and women's over-fourties to men's over-65's, were presented with their international caps at the National Basketball on Thursday evening, in recognition of their participation in the FIMBA European Championships this summer in Pesaro, Italy.

Basketball Ireland CEO John Feehan presented the caps to the players ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Pre-Qualifiers game against Azerbaijan.

Men's Over 40's

The Ireland men's over 40's team began their group phase in Pesaro with a narrow 65-59 loss to Great Britain at Baia Flaminia, they then faced a tough Austrian side and were defeated 67-93. Ireland ended the group stage on a high note by securing a 53-37 win against Germany in their final game.

Women's Over 40's

Our over 40’s women’s team got off to a strong start with an impressive 50-46 win against Serbia at Smash Sports Hall, unfortunately they were not as successful in the following two group games, falling to a 45-59 loss to Germany and a 63-75 overtime loss to Austria.

Men's Over 50's

It was a case of double delight for the over 50’s men’s team, as they secured two wins from their opening two games, beating Italy ‘C’ 76-34 in the cross-group qualifying game to progress for the quarter-finals, just falling short against Italy ‘A’ in the quarter-finals, losing 37-54.

Women's Over 50's

The Ireland women’s over 50’s led the way alongside the women's over 60's in terms of final classification, both ending with a 4^th place finish overall. The over 50’s had a mixed Pool A with a narrow 38-42 loss to Italy Baia Flaminia. They rebounded quickly with victory against Great Britain, 58-53 win at Celletta – which saw them advance to the last eight. Further success followed as they won out 71-29 against Germany to progress to the semi-finals, where they lost 60-37 to Hungary. Another defeat to Italy, 53-37 in the 3^rd / 4^th place play-off, left them with a hugely creditable 4^th place.

Women's Over 60's

Mike Lydon's women's O60 team competed in Pool B and began with a 38-33 win against Italy. They suffered an agonising 40-35 loss to Germany, before ending the group phase on a high against Hungary, winning 43-17. This earned them a quarter-final berth against the Czech Republic, which saw the Irish side grind out a 38-25 success. Estonia proved a bridge too far in the last four, with Ireland would going down by the finest of margins, 24-23. Unfortunately, it was a similar fate in the 3^rd / 4^th Place play-off against Germany, losing 27-26, for a 4^th place finish. 

Men's Over 60's

In Pool F, the over 60's team found it tough in their opening game against Germany, losing 22-47, though they creditably bounced back, securing a 50-36 win against South Korea – they lost 88-37 to Estonia in the cross-group qualifying game which saw them placed 15^th for the tournament.

Men's Over 65's

The Ireland men’s O65 team started off with a tough 35-55 loss to Germany. That appeared to be a catalyst for the group as they returned with an impressive 52-25 win against Italy in their second match of the tournament. They continued that momentum via a 39-34 win against Italy ‘B’, but suffered a 45-36 loss to Italy ‘A’ in the quarter-finals, placing them in 6^th for the tournament.

"It's a fantastic moment for these players to receive their official  international caps for representing their country at the FIBMA European Championship last summer in front of friends and family ahead of a FIBA World Cup qualifier at the National Basketball Arena. Each one gave everything in preparation and during the tournament to make it successful for the Irish Masters programme and they were rewarded with excellent performances by our teams in each age category. Preparations are well underway for this summer's programme already and we are looking forward to the trials taking place in the coming weeks and months."

- Mike Murray, Basketball Ireland Masters Lead

Basketball Ireland is inviting expressions of interest from members who would be interested in representing Ireland as a player, coach, team manager, assistant or physio at the 17th FIMBA European Championships in Ticino, Switzerland in the summer of 2025, apply here.