Leisure Centres in Newham offers 5-15 year olds coached basketball sessions for £1!
Young Londoners in Newham are being encouraged to take up £1 fully coached sessions this winter/spring as part of a groundbreaking city-wide initiative to get more young people playing Basketball in the capital.
Enabled through a link-up between The GLA and NBA, ‘NBA Court Time’ offers affordable indoor sessions to keep Londoners active.
The 'Better' Newham Leisure Centre in Newham will host the sessions on Thursdays and Sunday in collaboration with the London Coaches Program, targeting youth and juniors in the first stage of the roll-out commencing February 2026.
Adult participants, community groups and women-only sessions will be offered from March 2026.
£2 million is being invested by City Hall to improve Basketball facilities across the capital and create more opportunities for young people to get involved in the sport which already hugely popular in the USA is rapidly picking up a fan following in the UK.
The plans also include a further £1 million investment into the ‘London Coaches Program’, a partnership funded by the Mayor of London and the NBA and delivered by Basketball England.
Speaking on the launch of the Court Time initiative, Paul Whiteman, Partnership Manager for the Better in Newham said “We’re incredibly proud to bring the NBA Court Time initiative to Newham Leisure Centre. As the charitable social enterprise operating leisure centres across Newham, Better in Newham is committed to creating opportunities that inspire young people to be active and improve their health and wellbeing. This partnership with the NBA strengthens that mission—providing high‑quality basketball experiences, expanding access to sport, and supporting young people in our community to develop confidence, resilience and a lifelong love of being active. Initiatives like this are vital for activating young people across Newham, giving them positive pathways to engage in sport, build healthy habits and feel connected to their community.”
Basketball sits behind only football as the second-most popular team sport for young people in England, with 1.15 million playing on a weekly basis, while its diverse reach has seen NBA fandom among UK adults grow by 24 per cent in the last three years alone.
London is home to more than 500,000 active basketball players across community, club, and school programmes.
NBA Court Time commences on 1 February 2026 and is funded by the Mayor of London and delivered in partnership with the NBA and in collaboration with Better Leisure Centres and the London Coaches Program.
The initiative aims to make basketball more accessible – keeping Londoners active through winter and creating safe indoor opportunities for young Londoners build new skills and connections across boroughs and throughout the city.
Sessions in February will open first for young people aged 5-15, with further sessions for adults, women, and community groups rolling out in March.
All sessions are delivered by trained, DBS‑checked London Coaches and are suitable for all abilities - whether you have played the fast-moving sport before or never held a ball.
Free sessions can be arranged for schools, clubs or community organisations in London at: SportYouthTeam@london.gov.uk
Sessions are suitable for all experience levels and are fully equipped – so players do not need to bring anything except their trainers.
Find out more at: https://www.better.org.uk/what-we-offer/activities/basketball#nba.