The London Lions and the University of East London are pleased to announce a joint partnership that will see the professional team, based at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, manage and operate the basketball provision offered to both scholars and non-scholars.

The university offers first class facilities at it’s SportsDock site where Team USA were based at the 2012 Olympics and now this partnership will see the Lions create an educational pathway that compliments its basketball academies and school provision.

Lions Chief Executive, Vince Macaulay said: “We already provide education and basketball hand in hand with our first class college academies at Hackney and Epping Forest.

“Now we can create an opportunity for students to get a University degree whilst training as pro players.

“We are inundated by players, both home and abroad, asking how they can study and play, this partnership will provide that.

“We have also appointed well decorated Coach, Dave Greenaway as our first University Head Coach starting immediately.”

Director of Sport at UEL, Matt Tansley, added: “With UEL and London Lions now working together we believe that this will prove to be the outstanding opportunity for any student with serious ambitions about a career in basketball.

“Ultimately we want the best employment outcomes and university sport experience for our students and without doubt this partnership will create an amazing array of opportunities whether that’s through playing, coaching, officiating, marketing, S&C or medical provision.”

The university has four teams competing in the University Championships and they will now all come under the Lions jurisdiction, and the coaching staff at the Lions will work across the Board.