Hackney's New City College played host to an exciting basketball event led by the US Embassy and British Basketball League.

The Basketball Clinic was held to inspire girls living locally and across London to get involved in the sport.

And they were able to take advantage of the amazing sports facilities at NCC Hackney campus and hear motivational speeches from basketball VIPS, American Jarron Collins – a current NBA coach - and Arron Radin, the CEO of the BBL.

The clinic was featured on ITV London's evening news where viewers heard of the aim to follow the success of the England Lionesses in football, breaking down barriers, and inspiring more females to play basketball and get involved in this historically male-dominated sport.

The practical sessions were delivered by New City College partners, the London Lions, who train students on Sport and Fitness courses at the Hackney campus. Many former students have achieved huge success in basketball having started off with the Lions and are now playing in the USA.

Josiah Asantewa-Philip and Suhayb Choaibi, who studied Level 3 Sport and were part of the London Lions Basketball Development Partnership this year at NCC, have been awarded all-expenses paid scholarships to study and play in America for two years.

They are following in the footsteps of other famous former NCC Hackney students – the great Darius Defoe and Taiwo Badmus.

The idea of the Basketball Clinic originally came from the US Embassy in London, who reached out to the BBL, and together they wanted to show the power basketball can have in local communities and how events like this can inspire girls to engage in a sport they may not have had the opportunity to play before.

NBA star Collins said: “It takes time but where there’s more representation, where you see more women and people of colour getting opportunities and having success, that opens the door for the next generation and for others.”

One schoolgirl who took part added: “It was good fun. I usually play with boys because there are not a lot of girls who play basketball, so I’m really enjoying the sessions, being surrounded by girls who like to play the sport.”