University of Huddersfield and West Yorkshire Hawks Announce Strategic Partnership to Drive Excellence in Basketball
The University of Huddersfield and West Yorkshire Hawks Basketball are proud to renew their strategic partnership that will strengthen the basketball pathway across West Yorkshire while creating exceptional opportunities for student-athletes, coaches and the wider community.
The renewed partnership builds on the previous two years of successful partnership work which has seen the Hawks promoted to the National League division two and the university squad gain back to back promotions to the second tier of university basketball. Together it brings one of the UK's leading modern universities with one of Yorkshire's most ambitious basketball organisations, united by a shared commitment to sporting excellence, education and community development in West Yorkshire.
As the Official Higher Education Partner of West Yorkshire Hawks, the University of Huddersfield will support the club's ambitions to develop talented athletes by providing access to world-class facilities, performance expertise and academic opportunities, enabling players to pursue higher education alongside elite competition.
The partnership has been designed to create a genuine dual-career pathway, allowing student-athletes to balance academic success with high-performance basketball while benefiting from specialist support in strength and conditioning, sports science, physiotherapy, nutrition, performance analysis and athlete wellbeing.
The collaboration will deliver a wide range of initiatives, including:
• A dual-career programme supporting student-athletes competing at a high level while studying at the University.
• Access to the University's performance sport facilities and athlete support services.
• Student placements across coaching, performance analysis, marketing, media production and event management.
• Joint basketball development camps, coaching clinics and talent identification events.
• Community youth engagement programmes designed to increase participation in basketball among children and young people across West Yorkshire.
The partnership reflects both organisations' commitment to developing not only successful athletes, but confident leaders, coaches and professionals who will contribute to the continued growth of basketball across the region.
Ben Severn, Performance and Partnerships Manager at the University of Huddersfield, said:
"This partnership represents an exciting opportunity to combine our strengths in higher education and performance sport with the ambition of West Yorkshire Hawks. Since the original partnership was announced we have both developed and grown and this new partnership sees us move into an exciting new space. We are passionate about supporting talented student-athletes to achieve success in both their sporting and academic careers, while creating meaningful opportunities for our students to gain experience within an elite sporting environment."
Mark Mills, owner of West Yorkshire Hawks, said:
“It is amazing to renew our groundbreaking partnership with the University of Huddersfield. This is truly one of those partnerships that has accelerated the development of both organisations.
Without the University's belief in the vision and mission of the Hawks, we would not be making the incredible impact we are having across our local community. Equally, without the Hawks' support, the University men's basketball team would not have achieved back to back promotions or be attracting talented players from across the country who want to combine their studies with playing for the Hawks.
I am incredibly excited to see us take this partnership to another level this season.”
Beyond supporting elite performance, the partnership places a strong emphasis on widening participation and increasing access to basketball throughout the region. Together, the University and West Yorkshire Hawks will deliver outreach activities in the local community, creating opportunities for more young people to experience the sport and develop lifelong healthy habits.
Students at the University of Huddersfield will also benefit from enhanced employability opportunities through placements, volunteering and applied learning experiences across the Hawks' coaching, operations and commercial teams, providing invaluable experience within a professional sporting environment.
The partnership forms part of the University's wider commitment to investing in high-performance sport and developing meaningful collaborations that enrich the student experience while delivering positive social impact across West Yorkshire.
