In September 2013, four basketball scholarships will be offered to student athletes:

• One Gold Scholarship worth £5,500 a year for three years
• Two Silver Scholarships worth £3,500 a year for three years
• One Bronze Scholarship worth £1,000 a year for three years.

Four more scholarships will be available for students beginning their studies in September 2014, and four again in September 2015.

The scholarship packages also include a range of support such as performance coaching, physiotherapy, massage therapy, nutritional support and subsidised accommodation. They will be available to students who meet the academic and sporting criteria.

Two additional scholarships will also be available from September 2013 for student athletes who play for the Manchester Magic and Manchester Mystics basketball teams. These students may or may not be attending the University of Salford, but they will be in further or higher education in the North West:

• The John Amaechi Award - £2,500 a year for three years.
• The Joe and Maggie Forber Award - £2,500 a year for three years.

Originally financed by international basketball star John Amaechi OBE, the Amaechi Basketball Centre has 18 National League teams in the current season - an unprecedented number in the history of the game. 

John Amaechi said: “I’ve watched the reality of today’s difficult economic climate translate into young people stifling their dreams and aspirations. With the legacy rhetoric fading fast after the Olympics, we wanted to do something tangible to recapture the spirit of the Games and reignite the ambitions of young people.

”This generous support from the University of Salford will create opportunities for young people to carve out a potential new future through education and lessons learned in sport.”

Joe and Maggie Forber have been instrumental in the success and growth of Amaechi Basketball Centre which is used by over 1,000 youngsters each week. 

Joe said: “As Maggie and I are retired teachers, we appreciate the value of education and welcome the partnership with the University of Salford. We are also happy to have a separate scholarship in our name which values both education and sport.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Martin Hall said: “The University of Salford is committed to creating educational opportunities for everyone with the potential to succeed.

“The discipline and commitment required to excel in sport are needed equally for success in higher education, and we welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with the Amaechi Basketball Centre to offer these exciting opportunities to talented basketball players.”

The University is developing similar scholarships linked to other sports in the region.

For more information about the Amaechi Basketball Centre, go to: www.amaechibasketballcentre.com