PeacePlayers – Northern Ireland (PP-NI), are the first organisation to purposefully use basketball as a vechile to bring young people from all communities together. By competing together on integrated teams and participating in PeacePlayers’ community relations and team-building activities, children from these historically divided communities can discover common ground, forge new friendships and break down barriers, all through various programmes like our Cross-Community League (CCL). At the end of our winter CCL term, PP-NI hosts one of our infamous celebration events, Jingle Ball.
PEACEPLAYERS NORTHERN IRELAND WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2002 TO PROVIDE A RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT YOUTH TO FORM FRIENDSHIPS AND ADVOCATE FOR RECONCILIATION AND SHARED SOCIETY.
Peace Players Northern Ireland engages over 1200 Catholic and Protestant youth each year, ages 9-25, in year-round and multi-year basketball training, conflict resolution education and leadership development activities in Northern Ireland.
Belfast Star is the oldest recorded basketball club in Ulster still participating competitively. The late Dr Liam Conlon founded Star of the Sea Youth Club in 1964. Primarily a football club, Liam wanted to encourage participation in other sports and our current Club President Bill McCotter thus became involved at the forefront of basketball development in the club.