Thank you, Manchester! GB Women honour city with special jersey for EuroBasket Qualifiers
The Great Britain Women’s Basketball team is celebrating its special bond with Manchester this week through a unique collaboration between team captain Chantelle Handy and local artist Sasha Ray.
Head Coach Chema Buceta’s side will carry a ‘Thank You’ message to Manchester on their jerseys for the crucial Women’s EuroBasket Qualifiers against Estonia and Portugal taking place on 9 and 12 February at the National Basketball Performance Centre. Victory in both games would put the GB Women in a strong position to qualify for this summer’s European Championships.
A design, created in collaboration between Handy and Northern Quarter-based artist Ray, was unveiled this week at the Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre, which has provided an ideal base for the team in recent years.
It incorporates the famous Manchester Worker Bee as well as the British Basketball Federation logo and Union Flag colours. The bee has been an emblem for the city for more than 150 years and denotes Manchester’s work ethic as well as becoming a symbol of unity in recent years.
Chris Grant, Chair of the British Basketball Federation said:
“This amazing artistic collaboration is the perfect way to honour the relationship between a sport and a city which are both known for their vibrancy, creativity and diversity.
“Manchester has been the home to many magical milestones in the history of British basketball. We’re hoping that this week’s games will generate more moments to celebrate, and that our partnership with Manchester and the team at the Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre, who have looked after us so well, will go from strength to strength.”
Women’s National Team Captain Chantelle Handy OLY added:
“Manchester has become a second home to all of us in recent years as we’ve come together here time and time again for the National Team.
“We’ve always had an incredibly warm welcome from the city and we wanted to say thank you for the support and kindness we’ve been shown by carrying this special design on our jerseys for two huge games we have in Manchester this week.
“I’ve always been very passionate about art and it was great to collaborate with the hugely talented Sasha Ray on the design of this logo, and to unveil it at the Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre as well with Steve Julian. We’ve been made to feel very welcome by Steve and his team over the years, and we’re hugely grateful for their support.”
Steven Julian, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre, said:
“The team and I have enjoyed supporting the Great Britain Women’s National Team over the past four years and we are delighted to continue building our relationship with this fantastic gesture on the team jersey for the upcoming home games here in Manchester.
“The ‘Thank You’ collaboration extends our relationship with the involvement of both Women’s Team Captain Chantelle Handy and local Manchester artist Sasha Ray. We look forward to many more successful years ahead.”
The Great Britain Women’s National Team are in action at the National Basketball Performance Centre in Manchester this week as they get set to take on Estonia (Thursday, 9 Feb, 7:30pm) and Portugal (Sunday, 12 Feb, 4pm) in a bid to qualify for EuroBasket 2023. Tickets are on sale now so come and support the team and get your tickets by clicking here!