Harborough dad proud to be selected for Great Britain’s over-50s basketball team
A father-of-three from Market Harborough says he is proud after being selected to compete for Great Britain’s over-50s basketball team at this year’s European Championships.
Tom Marchesi, who has just turned 50, is competing for his country at the continental tournament which is being held in Greece in June and July.
Basketball has been a big part of Tom’s life, as he worked as head of public relations for the National Basketball Association (NBA) within Europe for 23 years.
Tom, who was born in Paris, has had the privilege of attending multiple major NBA games, including all those played in Europe, as part of his working life.
He has also moderated press conferences with some of the sport’s biggest names including American player Michael Jordan, current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and French-born player Victor Wembanyama.
Tom said he was extremely proud of his call-up and that he hoped it would send an important message.
“As a local Harborian, I am extremely proud to be representing Team GB and beyond the personal accomplishment, I think it sends an important message to adults to continue to aspire and perform at the highest possible level in sport, and that age should not be a barrier to ambition!” he said.
“I am a firm believer in the transformative power of sports to change lives and forge a feeling of community, camaraderie, empowerment and physical and emotional wellbeing.”
Tom told the Harborough Mail he discovered basketball during his teenage years explaining: “I played a lot of different sports at that age but came across some NBA games on TV and with some friends we started playing regularly on outdoor courts and with school and local teams.
“I have played my whole life, from university through to local leagues and now I have been selected to the Great Britain over-50s men's basketball team.”
Basketball runs in Tom’s family with his son currently playing at Junior National League level for the Leicester Warriors.
“Whilst I am quick to agree that he is better than I was at his age (just!), I have challenged him to still be playing at age 50 and be representing Great Britain!” Tom said.
“My daughters both think it's great albeit a little surreal.”
Following his selection, Tom’s next challenge is to raise funds for his trip, as all costs related to Team GB selection need to be covered by each individual player.
Tom is looking to raise £1,850 which would cover a full kit, team registration, ten training sessions, a training camp in Weston-super-Mare in the build-up to the championships and travel and accommodation to Athens.
Tom has set up a JustGiving page as part of his fundraising, which at the time of writing has raised £300, and has pledged to donate a percentage of the proceeds to Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end of life charity.
The championship is open to male and female teams across multiple age groups, and according to the event’s website Great Britain has already pre-registered men’s teams in the over-50s, over-40s, over-35s, over-45s, over-60s, over-65s and over-70s categories.
Meanwhile Great Britain has entered women’s teams in the over-50s, over-60s, over-65s, over-35s, over-40s, over-45s and over-55s categories.