The Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) is a Level 3 qualification is designed to be a dual career pathway programme which enables a high-performance basketball player to prepare for an alternative career alongside the opportunity to propel his or her playing potential forwards.
Student players wishing to obtain a DISE nomination are expected to be enrolled on the BMet Rockets Academy based at Sutton Coldfield campus.
There are only 160 places available in England and the City of Birmingham Rockets in partnership with the Birmingham Metropolitan College are the only providers of this programme in the West Midlands.
There is a selection process in which the Rockets will nominate high-potential players and students to Basketball England (BE) who then will accept a player or not.
Priority is often given to players who have already experienced the BE performance pathway (Aspire) and National Team Coaches expect players to feature in the DISE programme and play in the Elite Academies Basketball League (EABL) or Women’s Elite Academies League (WEABL).
To be eligible for DISE, 16–19-year-olds must be following a full-time study programme throughout the two years.
This would normally consist of three or four A-level subjects or a BTEC subject. DISE is rewarded with the allocation of 64 UCAS points which is a significant contribution towards university entrance requirements, should a player wish to move into Higher Education.
The DISE programme is delivered by the Rockets coaching staff who are highly experienced and qualified.
On the practical side, the training programme offers daily training and competition in the country’s premier league which enables players to develop their technical, tactical physical and psychological skills.
On the theoretical side DISE students will learn more about sports nutrition, athlete lifestyle, ambassadorial roles and communication skills, performance culture and exit routes.
DISE students may be offered the opportunity to train and possibly play with the Club’s Senior Teams who are currently competing in Division One of the National League, dependent upon performance in both academic and athletic fields.
Horizons will be extended with occasional National events and competitions. The programme is very demanding but there is an undertaking that DiSE will not interfere with academic progress in the classroom.
For further details or give an expression of interest please contact Peter Mintoft (Lead Tutor/Assessor) at petermintoft@aol.com or Paul Douglas (Technical Director) at allcitybasketball@me.com.