The Basketball Ireland Regional and Provincial Academy structure is the foundation of a development pathway for players and coaches with an ambition and potential to perform at the highest levels of our sport.
It opens a development and performance pathway for more players across the country in a time when there are more National League opportunities presenting themselves country wide as well as being the pathway to the international teams.
“More players, better players, playing for longer”.
To identify and recruit players and coaches that demonstrate the most talent and potential for future success in their basketball careers.
Early Intervention to better prepare players for participation and success in the U16 International programmes. The Basketball Ireland Provincial Academies are the primary route for all players that wish to be considered for the U16 National Teams along with providing the skills required to play basketball at the highest level.
The role of the academies is to widen the net for potential high-level players with the attributes to play at the highest level and to expose more players to high level coaching and playing. To give opportunities to players who are still developing or who are new to the sport but show many of the attributes required to develop into a high-level basketball player.
Investment in the long-term development of all players that show potential and commitment, propelling them towards success in local, regional, national, and international competition.
There are more talented athletes playing basketball than ever before and it is envisaged that this system – over the next three to five years - will produce a much larger group of international-standard players and increase competition and standard dramatically. Ireland has already shown that we can compete at all levels, but strength in depth has been an issue. Introducing international-standard concepts and skills to a wider group, at an earlier age, over a longer period will yield a stronger pool of players over time.
The Under 14 Academy is open to any player of any nationality. Skill development is the key objective for this age group and getting players ready for the advanced learning required for International Basketball but there is also a large element of supporting the work being done at club and school level to help all players reach their potential.
U14 Regions |
Counties |
East North |
Dublin North, Louth |
East South |
Dublin South, Wicklow |
Midlands |
Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford, North Tipperary, South Kildare |
North |
Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Meath, Louth, Cavan, Monaghan |
Northwest |
Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, North Roscommon |
South |
Cork |
Southeast |
Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, South Tipperary |
Southwest |
Kerry, Limerick |
West: |
Clare, Galway, South Mayo, South Roscommon |
The Under 15 Academy is the route players that live and play in Ireland must take to be selected for the Under 16 Irish International team. Players without an Irish passport can join the Academy with the approval of the EPC but requires parents to start the process of naturalisation to make them eligible to play for Ireland under FIBA rules. For any questions on eligibility please contact the International Liaison officer Matthew Hall by email mhall@ireland.basketball. There will be no open talent ID sessions for the Under 16 international squad.
Under 16 international teams are selected during August/September the season before the FIBA U16 EuroBasket for which the squad will be taking part directly from the Academy sessions. for example, the 2025 squad is selected in August/September of 2024. The squad will be selected from the Under 15 Academy class, except for players living and playing outside of Ireland who may be brought into the squad on trial and players that are from the Under 14 age group. Exceptional circumstances will always be considered and judged by the EPC on a case-by-case basis.
Talent ID Session 1 - 6/7th, September
Talent ID Session 2 - 20/21st September
Region | Head Coach | Venue | Date | Time |
East North | Conor Farrington | Gormanston Park | Sat 6th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Gormanston Park | Sat 20th Sept | 1000 - 1300 | ||
East South | Ger Jago | Colaiste De h'ide Tallaght | Sun 7th Sept | 1400 - 1700 |
Colaiste De h'ide Tallaght | Sun 21st Sept | 1400 - 1700 | ||
North | Stephen McArdle | St Macartens, Monaghan | Sat 6th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Gormanston Park | Sat 20th Sept | 1400 - 1700 | ||
North West | Laura Deeney | Colaiste Cholmcille, Ballyshannon | Sun 7th Sept | 1330 - 1630 |
Colaiste Cholmcille, Ballyshannon | Sun 21st Sept | 1330 - 1630 | ||
West | Paul O'Brien | Corundulla Community Centre | Sun 7th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Corundulla Community Centre | Sun 21st Sept | 1000 - 1300 | ||
South West | Kelly Ahern | Kerry Sports Academy | Sun 7th Sept | 1100 - 1400 |
Limerick Educate Together | Sun 21st Sept | 1200 - 1500 | ||
South | Jenn Dinan | Fr Mathews Arena | Sun 7th Sept | 1400 - 1700 |
Fr Mathews Arena | Sun 21st Sept | 1400 - 1700 | ||
South East | Niall Berry | Soil Ruain, Killenaule | Sat 6th Sept | 1330 - 1630 |
Soil Ruain, Killenaule | Sat 20th Sept | 1330 - 1630 | ||
Midlands | Alyssa Velles | St Mary's Portlaoise | Sat 6th Sept | 1100 - 1400 |
SHS Tullamore | Sun 21st Sept | 1100 - 1400 |
Talent ID Session 1 - 6/7th, September
Talent ID Session 2 - 20/21st September
Region | Head Coach | Venue | Date | Time |
East North | Gareth Winders | Gormanston Park | Sat 6th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Gormanston Park | Sun 21st Sept | 1000 - 1300 | ||
East South | Shane Byrne | St. Joseph of Cluny | Sat 6th Sept | 1730-2030 |
St. Joseph of Cluny | Sat 20th Sept | 1730-2030 | ||
North | Rolandas Bartkus | Gormanston Park | Sat 6th Sept | 1400 - 1700 |
Gormanston Park | Sat 20th Sept | 1400 - 1700 | ||
North West | Laura Deeney | Colaiste Cholmcille, Ballyshannon | Sun 7th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Colaiste Cholmcille, Ballyshannon | Sun 21st Sept | 1000 - 1300 | ||
West | Ciaran mcGroggan | Corundulla Community Centre | Sat 6th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Corundulla Community Centre | Sat 20th Sept | 0900 - 1200 | ||
South West | Dave Barry | UL Arena | Sat 6th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
UL Arena | Sun 21st Sept | 1000 - 1300 | ||
South | Pat Curran | MTU Cork | Sat 6th Sept | 1300 - 1600 |
Fr Matthews Arena | Sat 20th Sept | 1100 - 1400 | ||
South East | Niall Berry | Scoil Ruain, Killenaule | Sat 6th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Scoil Ruain, Killenaule | Sat 20th Sept | 1000 - 1300 | ||
Midlands | Ciaran Kiveney | Our Ladies Bower Athlone | Sun 7th Sept | 1200 - 1500 |
Sacred Heart Tullamore | Sat 20th Sept | 1200 - 1500 |
Talent ID Session 1 - 6/7th, September
Talent ID Session 2 - 20/21st September
Province | Head Coach | Venue | Date | Time |
Connacht | Paul O'Brien | Corundulla Community Centre | Sun 7th Sept | 1330 - 1630 |
Corundulla Community Centre | Sun 21st Sept | 1330 - 1630 | ||
Leinster | Ian Lynch | Gormanston Park | Sun 7th Sept | 1400 - 1700 |
Gormanston Park | Sun 21st Sept | 1400 - 1700 | ||
Munster | Sara Persson | Fr Mathews Arena | Sat 6th Sept | 1400 - 1700 |
Fr Mathews Arena | Sat 20th Sept | 1400 - 1700 | ||
Ulster | Stephen McArdle | St Macartens, Monaghan | Sat 6th Sept | 1300 - 1600 |
St Macartens, Monaghan | Sun 21st Sept | 1000 - 1300 | ||
Dublin | Andrius Gerve / Elaine Scally | Gormanston Park | Sun 7th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Gormanston Park | Sun 21st Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Talent ID Session 1 - 6/7th, September
Talent ID Session 2 - 20/21st September
Province | Head Coach | Venue | Date | Time |
Connacht | Jake Tiernan | Coláiste Muire Máthair | Sun 7th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
TBC | ||||
Leinster | Sheena Moran | Gormanston Park | Sun 7th Sept | 1400 - 1700 |
Gormanston Park | Sun 21st Sept | 1400 - 1700 | ||
Munster | Paul Kelleher | Neptune Stadium | Sun 7th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Neptune Stadium | Sat 20th Sept | 1630 - 1930 | ||
Ulster | Brendan McCoy | Colaiste Oiriall | Sat 6th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Colaiste Oiriall | Sat 20th Sept | 1000 - 1300 | ||
Dublin | Gareth O'Reilly | Gormanston Park | Sun 7th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Gormanston Park | Sat 20th Sept | 1000 - 1300 |
Basketball Ireland is pleased to announce the U17 Open Talent Identification Sessions for players born in 2009 or later. These sessions are the first step in the selection process for the Basketball Ireland U17 International Academy, which forms part of the Basketball Ireland High Performance Pathway.
Province | Date | Time | Venue |
Leinster & Ulster | Saturday, Semptember 13th | 10:00-13:30 | Gormanston Park, Co. Meath |
Connacht, Munster or Living outside of Ireland | Saturday, September 13th | 14:00-17:30 |
Gormanston Park, Co. Meath |
Province | Date | Time | Venue |
Leinster & Ulster | Sunday, Semptember 14th | 10:00-13:30 | Gormanston Park, Co. Meath |
Connacht, Munster or Living outside of Ireland | Sunday, September 14th | 14:00-17:30 | Gormanston Park, Co. Meath |
Following the Gormanston sessions, a group of selected players will be invited to a second Talent Identification Day at UL Arena.
These invite-only follow-up sessions will help form the final U17 International Academy squads for the 2025/26 season.
These Open Talent Identification (TID) sessions are designed to identify players with the potential to play International Basketball at U18 level in season 2026/27. The U17 Development International Academy is the required pathway for players living and playing in Ireland to be selected for the U18 team the following year.
The cost of attending the Talent ID session is €25 per player, payable during the online registration process.
Region | Head Coach | Assistant Coach | Assistant Coach |
East North | Gareth Winders | Andrew Brady | Alex Kiernan |
East South | Shane Byrne | Eleanor Hosey | Matt Kelly |
Midlands | Ciaran Kiveney | Peter Mannion | |
North | Rolandas Bartkus | John O’Brien | |
Northwest | Laura Deeney | Sean mcGettrick | Tracey Flood |
South | Pat Curran | Alberto Garcia | |
South East | Niall Berry | Lar Murphy | |
South West | Dave Barry | Thomas Walsh | |
West | Ciaran mcGroggan | TBC |
Province | Head Coach | Assistant Coach | Assistant Coach |
Connacht | Jake Tiernan | David Hormanseder | |
Dublin | Gareth O'Reilly | Maitiu Heckmann | Murray Baker |
Leinster | Sheena Moran | Ray Armstrong | Colin Maxwell |
Munster | Paul Kelleher | Jason Barry | |
Ulster | Brendan McCoy | Michael Boening | Simon Kennedy |
Region | Head Coach | Assistant | Assistant | Assistant |
East North | Conor Farrington | Cathal Clancy | Dave Earley | |
East South | Ger Jago | Dave Doran | Robert Bree | Linda Joyce |
Midlands | Alyssa Velles | Megan Dunne | Ruth O Brien | |
North | Stephen mcArdle | Stephen Mc Geough | Beth Winders | |
Northwest | Laura Deeney | Sean mcGettrick | ||
South | Jenn Dinan | Agnieszka Lukasiewicz | Sara Persson | |
South East | Niall Berry | Johnny Gleeson | ||
South West | Kelly Ahern | Isabelle Whelan | Denise Walsh | |
West | Paul O'Brien | Laura Lopez | Caroline Walsh |
Province | Head Coach | Assistant | Assistant | |
Connacht | Paul O'Brien | Laura Lopez | Sylvia McDonagh | |
Dublin | Andrius Gerve / Elaine Scally | Mia McPartling | ||
Leinster | Ian Lynch | Shauna Kavanagh | Kate O'Flaherty | Sam McEntee |
Munster | Sara Persson | Niall O'Connell | ||
Ulster | Stephen McArdle | Elena Arutyunyan | Eimear Brannigan |
Day / Date | Venue | Time | |
East - North | |||
East - South | |||
North | |||
North West | |||
West | |||
South West | |||
South | |||
South East | |||
Midlands |
Day / Date | Venue | Time | |
Connacht | |||
Leinster | |||
Munster | |||
Ulster | |||
Dublin |
Day / Date | Venue | Time | |
East - North | |||
East - South | |||
North | |||
North West | |||
West | |||
South West | |||
South | |||
South East | |||
Midlands |
Day / Date | Venue | Time | |
Connacht | |||
Leinster | |||
Munster | |||
Ulster | |||
Dublin |
East North | East South | North | North West | West | South West | South | South East | Midlands |
Dublin North | Dublin South | Tyrone | Sligo | Mayo | Limerick | Cork | WAterford | Laois |
Louth | Wicklow | Antrim | Donegal | Galway | Kerry | Wexford | Offaly | |
Meath | North Kildare | Down | Leitrim | Clare | Carlow | Westmeath | ||
Fermanagh | Roscommon | Kilkenny | South Kildare | |||||
Armagh | Tipperary | Longford | ||||||
Derry | ||||||||
Cavan | ||||||||
Monaghan |
Day/Date | Venue | Time |
Day/Date | Venue | Time |
Month | Academy |
September 6th | U14/15 Academy Talent ID day |
September 7th | U14/15 Academy Talent ID day |
September 20th | U14/15 Academy Talent ID day |
September 21st | U14/15 Academy Talent ID day |
October 4th | U14/15 Academy training |
October 5th | U14/15 Academy training |
October 25th | U13 Academy Development Sessions |
October 26th | U13 Academy Development Sessions |
November 1st | U14/15 Academy training |
November 2nd | U14/15 Academy training |
December 6th | U14/15 Academy training |
December 7th | U14/15 Academy training |
December 28th | U14 Girls Inter regional academy tournament |
December 29th | U14 Boys Inter regional academy tournament |
December 30th | U15 Get together Girls 10 - 13:30 - Boys 14:00 - 17:30 |
January 31st | U14/15 Academy training |
February 1st | U14/15 Academy training |
March 7th | U14/15 Academy training |
March 8th | U14/15 Academy training |
March 21st | U14/15 academy sessions - Girls only to avoid AICC's |
March 22nd | U14/15 academy sessions - Girls only to avoid AICC's |
April 8th | U15 Girls get together |
April 9th | U15 Boys get together |
April 18th | U14/15 academy sessions - Boys only to avoid AICC's |
April 19th | U14/15 academy sessions - Boys only to avoid AICC's |
May 9th | Academy u14 /U15 Academy training session. |
May 10th | Academy u14 /U15 Academy training session. |
May 16th | U15 Boys Inter Provincial Tournament |
May 23rd | U15 Girls Inter Provincial Tournament |
May 30th | U14 Boys academy camp/ U15 Four Nations |
May 31st | U14 Boys academy camp/ U15 Four Nations |
June 6th | U14 girls Academy camp |
June 7th | U14 girls Academy camp |
June 13th | U14 Academy training Boys and Girls |
June 14th | U14 Academy training Boys and Girls |
June 27th | Provisional U14 Four Nations (Wales) |
June 28th | Provisional U14 Four Nations (Wales) |