Famous And1 player Cardell Butler to play at World Club Basketball tournament in Hastings

Alongside the basketball tournament, there will be lots of other activities, including a free children's basketball coaching clinic, music, competitions and face painting. Tickets cost £5.50 and food and drink will be available for purchase at the venue.

The WCBT takes place over the weekend of 9 and 10 September at the Summerfields Leisure Centre in Hastings, (see www.worldclubbasketballtournament.com for tickets and details).

The tournament’s founder and CEO Eric Douglin started the WCBT in 2015 to enable players of all abilities compete against teams from other countries while also raising funds for charity.

This year proceeds from ticket sales will be split equally between Kidney Research UK and Bowel Research UK, two charities that are close to Douglin’s heart. Eric had a kidney transplant over a decade ago and a major bowel operation in 2020.

Eric Douglin, CEO of the World Club Basketball Tournament, said: “We are delighted to welcome all the teams, their families, and supporters to our tournament in Hastings on the 9 and 10 September. There’s loads of things to do as well as watching some hopefully epic basketball clashes from the top club players in the world. We hope people come early and stay for the whole day.

“Club basketball in the UK is stronger than ever, helped by England winning gold at basketball in the Commonwealth Games last year. This means more children and adults are playing basketball these days and there are more tournaments for them to compete in”.

According to a survey by Sport England Active Lives, over a million British people regularly play basketball, and it’s the second most popular team sport after football for school children.

For the first time, the WCBT is coming under the regulation of Basketball England, the sport’s governing body in England with around 65,000 members.

Douglin added: “It’s great news that we are now regulated by Basketball England. It will help the tournament continue to grow and enable us to reach more teams and encourage more people to take up the sport.”

Lynn Dunne, CEO of Bowel Research UK, said: “Bowel Research UK is a proud supporter of the World Club Basketball Tournament. We raise money that funds new medical research for better treatments and potential cures for bowel cancer and other bowel diseases, like Crohn’s, or diverticulitis, which necessitated Eric’s bowel surgery.

“We will be at the tournament on both days, explaining our work and why it’s so important. Eric has kindly provided a quiet room where we can talk privately if anyone wishes to ask questions about their own bowel issues.”

Beccy Bavin, Volunteering Programme Manager at Kidney Research UK, said:“Eric’s dedication to fundraising and the sport is the reason why the World Club Basketball Tournament is such a successful event year on year. We are proud to be a part of this amazing tournament, helping to spread awareness of the condition and the impact it has on an estimated 7.2 million people across the UK. The money that Eric and the participants raise will help us transform treatments so that people like Eric can live longer with a vital transplant and avoid the gruelling treatment of dialysis.”