While most industries slow down during summer, your fellow Members at Basketbal Vlaanderen turned up the pace instead. In a season filled with activities such as the Olympics, the 3x3 Masters tournaments, and plenty of youth championships, their dedication and love for the sport ensured basketball enthusiasts to stay active and engaged during the otherwise rather sleepy summer period where sports clubs take their collective break. We talked to Benoit Denoulet; Communication & Event Coordinator at Basketbal Vlaanderen, who gave us a closer look at how they kept the ball bouncing during the summer months.

Basketbal Vlaanderen is the Flemish basketball federation for about 220 basketball clubs in Flanders, for whom they organise sports competitions and events throughout the year and offer support in their daily administration, communication, logistics, and so on. Benoit: “During the year, we join forces with our Walloon counterpart AWBB to and come together as Basketball Belgium to support our national teams as well”. Next to these activities, Basketbal Vlaanderen also runs Topsportschool Antwerpen where young athletes combine their secondary education with sports specialisation; ranging from all kinds of disciplines such as badminton and swimming to football and – how else – basketball.

From September until May, Basketbal Vlaanderen mainly focuses on the club activities. But in June, July, and August, they operate at full throttle for the Belgian national teams since that’s the season for them to participate in large tournaments worldwide – with the Olympics as this year’s absolute standout event. Benoit: “And then before you’ll know it, summer comes to an end and you’re assisting clubs with the preparation for their next season. So there’s no real off-time at Basketbal Vlaanderen, except maybe for the Christmas period where clubs have a short winter break. But then again; you do it for the love of the sport”.

The women’s national basketball team – The Belgian Cats, has been growing stronger and stronger over the last few years, resulting in capturing the attention and hearts of fans across the country. As we now know, they unfortunately just missed the Olympic podium despite their efforts – but during this interview, our hopes were still high for them to win Olympic gold. Benoit had to offer his support and follow our national pride from afar, since the International Olympic Committee can only allow for a limited amount of supporting staff to join the athletes in the Olympic Village. Benoit: “Definitely a bummer, since we joined them to the European Championship in Israel last year where this golden generation struck gold. Nothing tops the feeling you have when all of your efforts culminate in such an amazing experience on-site, but of course it’s only natural for the Committee to maintain a certain limit. So we’re making the best of our Olympic summer from the comfort of our home base in Belgium”.

The women’s national basketball team – The Belgian Cats, has been growing stronger and stronger over the last few years, resulting in capturing the attention and hearts of fans across the country. As we now know, they unfortunately just missed the Olympic podium despite their efforts – but during this interview, our hopes were still high for them to win Olympic gold. Benoit had to offer his support and follow our national pride from afar, since the International Olympic Committee can only allow for a limited amount of supporting staff to join the athletes in the Olympic Village. Benoit: “Definitely a bummer, since we joined them to the European Championship in Israel last year where this golden generation struck gold. Nothing tops the feeling you have when all of your efforts culminate in such an amazing experience on-site, but of course it’s only natural for the Committee to maintain a certain limit. So we’re making the best of our Olympic summer from the comfort of our home base in Belgium”.

Their intense preparation period leading up to the Olympics goes back as far as February, when Basketball Belgium  organised the Olympic qualification tournament in the Antwerp Sportpaleis for the Belgian Cats to participate in. Benoit: “Such events require an immense amount of organisation; from communication and promotion to ticketing and financing, but also gathering volunteers, arranging security and working through a mountain of logistics. I remember how Depeche Mode was still performing on Tuesday, while the tournament started the day after. Everything worked out in the end, but I must admit that we were working with a tight deadline [laughs]”.

Arriving at the end of the club season and the start of the summer season, The Belgian Cats started training in June for the actual leadup to the Olympics. Benoit: “One of the events we organised was a three-country-tournament in Kortrijk at the end of June with The Belgian Cats and the women’s basketball teams of China and Serbia, with our youth teams acting as their supporting programmes”.

The week after that, The Belgian Cats participated in a similar training tournament against Spain and Canada in Charleroi, and for the remainder of the summer period lots of other events would follow to get them up and running for the season highlight: the Olympics, where they would eventually strand at an honourable fourth place.

Who though t that summer means downtime for basketballer players , should think again. Apart from  supporting The Belgian Cats in their Olympic endeavours, Basketbal Vlaanderen had their hands full organising the 3x3 Masters tournaments; bringing dynamic and fast-paced basketball action to various locations across Flanders and Wallonia. This urban style of basketball, known for its vibrant outdoor setting accompanied by music and community spirit, provided players with the perfect platform to stay sharp and competitive during the clubs’ off-season. Benoit: “You don’t want your athletes to sit still during summer, since that could result in muscle injuries when they jump into action again. So that’s why we’re organising so many activities during this period as well, which involves a lot of event management: building up the courts, securing volunteers, making promotion, selling tickets, etc.”.

Organising these 3x3 Masters tournaments asks for a lot of work, but at Basketbal Vlaanderen they are happy to see how their efforts pay off time and time again. Benoit: “Most of these tournaments are fully booked, so it’s an amazingly rewarding initiative we love to dedicate our energy to. Even while that means to work weekends and evenings  as well, because there’s no escaping that for sure”.

Summer also marks the period for the Youth European Championships, where our national youth teams compete fiercely on international stages. From U16 to U20 – age 15 up to 20, both boys and girls teams represent Belgium with pride, showcasing their talent and gaining invaluable experience against Europe's best. Almost every week during summer there’s a championship for these teams to participate in; ensuring a full schedule for Benoit and his team.

Basketball Belgium manages the intricate logistics, communications, and administrative tasks necessary for these events; from ensuring player registrations within the International Basketball Federation systems to coordinating with team managers and executing media strategies – everything is covered. Benoit: “For me, organising the media day for our youngsters is one of my favourite activities. Their energy during photoshoots and video interviews is nothing short of amazing”.

Basketbal Vlaanderen is the Flemish basketball federation for about 220 basketball clubs in Flanders, for whom they organise sports competitions and events throughout the year and offer support in their daily administration, communication, logistics, and so on. Benoit: “During the year, we join forces with our Walloon counterpart AWBB to and come together as Basketball Belgium to support our national teams as well”. Next to these activities, Basketbal Vlaanderen also runs Topsportschool Antwerpen where young athletes combine their secondary education with sports specialisation; ranging from all kinds of disciplines such as badminton and swimming to football and – how else – basketball.

From September until May, Basketbal Vlaanderen mainly focuses on the club activities. But in June, July, and August, they operate at full throttle for the Belgian national teams since that’s the season for them to participate in large tournaments worldwide – with the Olympics as this year’s absolute standout event. Benoit: “And then before you’ll know it, summer comes to an end and you’re assisting clubs with the preparation for their next season. So there’s no real off-time at Basketbal Vlaanderen, except maybe for the Christmas period where clubs have a short winter break. But then again; you do it for the love of the sport”.

The women’s national basketball team – The Belgian Cats, has been growing stronger and stronger over the last few years, resulting in capturing the attention and hearts of fans across the country. As we now know, they unfortunately just missed the Olympic podium despite their efforts – but during this interview, our hopes were still high for them to win Olympic gold. Benoit had to offer his support and follow our national pride from afar, since the International Olympic Committee can only allow for a limited amount of supporting staff to join the athletes in the Olympic Village. Benoit: “Definitely a bummer, since we joined them to the European Championship in Israel last year where this golden generation struck gold. Nothing tops the feeling you have when all of your efforts culminate in such an amazing experience on-site, but of course it’s only natural for the Committee to maintain a certain limit. So we’re making the best of our Olympic summer from the comfort of our home base in Belgium”.

Their intense preparation period leading up to the Olympics goes back as far as February, when Basketball Belgium  organised the Olympic qualification tournament in the Antwerp Sportpaleis for the Belgian Cats to participate in. Benoit: “Such events require an immense amount of organisation; from communication and promotion to ticketing and financing, but also gathering volunteers, arranging security and working through a mountain of logistics. I remember how Depeche Mode was still performing on Tuesday, while the tournament started the day after. Everything worked out in the end, but I must admit that we were working with a tight deadline [laughs]”.

Arriving at the end of the club season and the start of the summer season, The Belgian Cats started training in June for the actual leadup to the Olympics. Benoit: “One of the events we organised was a three-country-tournament in Kortrijk at the end of June with The Belgian Cats and the women’s basketball teams of China and Serbia, with our youth teams acting as their supporting programmes”.

The week after that, The Belgian Cats participated in a similar training tournament against Spain and Canada in Charleroi, and for the remainder of the summer period lots of other events would follow to get them up and running for the season highlight: the Olympics, where they would eventually strand at an honourable fourth place.

Who though t that summer means downtime for basketballer players , should think again. Apart from  supporting The Belgian Cats in their Olympic endeavours, Basketbal Vlaanderen had their hands full organising the 3x3 Masters tournaments; bringing dynamic and fast-paced basketball action to various locations across Flanders and Wallonia. This urban style of basketball, known for its vibrant outdoor setting accompanied by music and community spirit, provided players with the perfect platform to stay sharp and competitive during the clubs’ off-season. Benoit: “You don’t want your athletes to sit still during summer, since that could result in muscle injuries when they jump into action again. So that’s why we’re organising so many activities during this period as well, which involves a lot of event management: building up the courts, securing volunteers, making promotion, selling tickets, etc.”.

Organising these 3x3 Masters tournaments asks for a lot of work, but at Basketbal Vlaanderen they are happy to see how their efforts pay off time and time again. Benoit: “Most of these tournaments are fully booked, so it’s an amazingly rewarding initiative we love to dedicate our energy to. Even while that means to work weekends and evenings  as well, because there’s no escaping that for sure”.

Summer also marks the period for the Youth European Championships, where our national youth teams compete fiercely on international stages. From U16 to U20 – age 15 up to 20, both boys and girls teams represent Belgium with pride, showcasing their talent and gaining invaluable experience against Europe's best. Almost every week during summer there’s a championship for these teams to participate in; ensuring a full schedule for Benoit and his team.

Basketball Belgium manages the intricate logistics, communications, and administrative tasks necessary for these events; from ensuring player registrations within the International Basketball Federation systems to coordinating with team managers and executing media strategies – everything is covered. Benoit: “For me, organising the media day for our youngsters is one of my favourite activities. Their energy during photoshoots and video interviews is nothing short of amazing”.