Euroleague Basketball clubs ready historic One Team season
A new and revolutionary season that promises fans more great basketball than ever before also promises the many thousands of beneficiaries of One Team, the corporate social responsibility programme of Euroleague Basketball, bigger and better opportunities to overcome obstacles and integrate with their communities.
With that in mind, representatives of clubs involved in One Team from both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup are spending two days together this week at the sixth One Team Annual Workshop in order to hear from experts, to exchange ideas and to build the foundations for a new season of success.
"Just like our basketball clubs, One Team is preparing now to return to communities all over Europe for even more and better cooperation in the important work of helping people in need," Jordi Bertomeu, President and CEO of Euroleague Basketball, said. "We are fortunate to have partners like Turkish Airlines, Dogus Group, our clubs, coaches, players and ambassadors, who make this initiative something truly special, and I wish to thank them all for their admirable commitment to One Team."
The sixth annual workshop, being held near Barcelona, features a long list of collaborators, beginning with project coordinators from each club and including both Euroleague Basketball Ambassador Joe Arlauckas and eight invited guests from the nexus of sports and social responsibility, all of whose expertise enriches the preparations for the new One Team season.
Club-based One Team coaches Mr. Nikolaos Kampouris of Olympiacos Piraeus, Ms. Artemis Panagi of Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens and Mr. Juan Jose Rojo Valencia Basket each outlined practical examples of success to their newest colleagues. Mr. Arlauckas, using his personal experience supporting the programme, spoke about the crucial role of each team's One Team Ambassador in empowering the least fortunate members in their communities.
"I am thankful to be able to work with One Team again as a Euroleague Basketball Ambassador, and after talking a lot with the players who do this also, I know they can't wait, either," Arlauckas said. "This is one opportunity that sports provides us, to give back to our communities, and I admire the Euroleague Basketball players for making something so noble as One Team a key part of their careers."
The roster of invited speakers included Mr. Andy Caldwell, Founder of CoCreate Consultancy; Mr. Mthoko Madonda, Founder, Reach Sports Management; Ms. Preeti Shetty, Senior Consultant, Upshot; Ms. Caroline Rowland, Founder, Newmoon; Mr. Sam Shave, Partnership Manager, Comic Relief; Mr. Douglas Samuel, CEO, Spartans Community Football Academy; Ms. Mandu Reid, Head of Sports Legacy Programmes for Mayor of London; and Mr. Dan Gerrard, Senior Project Manager, Think Beyond.
In the category of first-time special guests attending the workshop are representatives from Bey-Koop Ali Çebi Middle School, who were invited in recognition of their achievements within the One Team - Stay In the Game Educational programme that reached five public schools in Istanbul last season and was created in collaboration between Dogus Group and Euroleague Basketball to keep youngsters out of trouble through basketball.
Euroleague Basketball also used the workshop to promote to all its clubs and collaborators the European Week of Sport and its message of #BEACTIVE, which echoes one of the aims of One Team.
It all added up to a training camp to ensure that innovation and growth, supported by all the One Team partners, make deeper positive impact in communities throughout Europe and beyond during the 2016-17 Euroleague Basketball season!
This article was originally published on www.euroleague.net