The Spiritual Home of British Hoops

To casual sports fans, top-flight basketball on Merseyside might look like a brand-new experiment, or something that only briefly flickered to life when the Mersey Tigers played at the waterfront between 2008 and 2010. In reality, our region is the spiritual home of the sport in Britain. Just one year after Dr James Naismith invented basketball in Massachusetts in 1891, Birkenhead YMCA on Grange Road adopted the game in 1892, the exact same year Liverpool Football Club was founded across the water. ¹

For the next 19 years, no other town, city, or hamlet outside the Wirral peninsula played the game. Even when missionaries from Springfield, Massachusetts brought the sport to the Birmingham YMCA in 1911, the Wirral still stood strong as the original hub, with local players gaining widespread appreciation for their superior skill. ²

While that complete regional monopoly waned into the 1920s as the sport grew nationwide, Merseyside remained the standard-bearer for British basketball. When a knock-out tournament was arranged in 1936 to crown the first true national champions, it was Hoylake YMCA who took the title, defeating London Polytechnic 32-21 in the final. The all-conquering Hoylake team successfully defended their title the following year against the Latter Day Saints. In 1938, a grudge match between those same two teams made history as the first basketball match ever broadcast on British radio.

It was only the outbreak of the Second World War that finally broke this regional dominance. The war made it difficult for regional teams to maintain organisation, and after 1945, major cities like London and Birmingham became the sport’s primary bases, leaving the Wirral’s prestige as the centre of British basketball long forgotten by the mainstream.

Tony Whitehead: The Architect of the Local Renaissance

In 1977, Tony Whitehead, a teacher at Prenton Girls’ School, introduced an after-school basketball club. This initiative sparked a local renaissance for the sport. Within a few years, he was coaching both boys and girls across multiple age groups, leading teams to finals and securing championships.

Building a Legacy Through His Players

Tony Whitehead’s influence is evident in the calibre of players he developed. His son, Chris, represented England at under-15 and under-17 levels and continues his father’s legacy by coaching young players on Merseyside. Other proteges include Kate Lewis, who became the development officer for basketball in the North West, and Georgina Walsh, whose career saw her play for the Manchester Giants, the England under-19s team, and Great Britain.

A Lasting Impact

Tony Whitehead passed away in 2020, leaving behind a massive legacy that extended beyond the basketball court and profoundly impacted people’s lives. Georgina Walsh has expressed her eternal gratitude for his early belief in her, recalling how he spotted her potential as a “6 foot gangly teenager” playing netball. Terry Evans, co-chairman and under-10s coach at Wirral Raptors, credits Tony with allowing him to understand his place in the game and building his confidence, stating that without basketball, he would be in a totally different place in his life. ³

Grassroots Grit and the Modern Renaissance

Today, basketball is the second-most popular team sport in the country, with more children playing weekly than rugby and tennis combined. ⁴ Grassroots clubs like Liverpool Basketball Club and the Wirral Raptors continue to develop talent despite cramped school sports halls, while local figures Michael Holt and Rich Stubbs are actively campaigning for a 20 million pound community arena and basketball hub in Birkenhead. As local coaches and parents know well, this is not a case of build it and they will come. The players and supporters are already here.

Regional Milestones

• 1892: Birkenhead YMCA adopts basketball just one year after the sport is invented in Massachusetts.
• 1936 to 1938: Hoylake YMCA wins back-to-back national championships and plays in the first basketball game ever broadcast on British radio.
• 1969: The grassroots Liverpool Basketball Club is established, becoming a mainstay of NBL Division 1.
• 1977: Tony Whitehead launches his after-school basketball programme in Birkenhead, sparking a youth renaissance across the North West.
• 2007 to 2013: The Mersey Tigers bring top-flight professional basketball to the area, as well as winning the BBL Cup in their second season as well as finishing as runners-up in the league before folding.
• 2026: Liverpool Basketball is formed.

To read more about the history of the club follow this link!