England Development Programme
The England Development Programme (EDP) sits within Basketball England’s Talent Pathway and is their branding for the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE). The programme enables 16 to 19 year olds to continue playing basketball within an elite environment whilst studying in a Further Education or Sixth Form setting.
Diploma in Sporting Excellence
DiSE is a two-year, Department for Education (DfE) funded programme. It is a unique sporting qualification designed to meet the needs of student-athletes who exhibit the potential to achieve excellence in basketball. The DiSE is a two-year education programme which is delivered alongside a conventional state-funded study programme of education or training for students aged 16 to 18 and those students aged 19 to 24 who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
The main focus is to deliver a complementary performance development programme, allowing students to combine basketball and education, so that they have the skills, knowledge, and qualifications to pursue a dual career in high level sport alongside separate paid employment in the future. Furthermore, it delivers a recognised programme of education, regulated by Ofqual, and seeks to enable athletes to acquire the skills and knowledge to gain an additional qualification in sporting excellence. DiSE operates to a capped number of 1,550 (entrant) participants per academic year, 145 for basketball.
Aims of DiSE
The aim of the DiSE programme is to support youth basketball athletes as they progress through their personalised journey of development. In doing so, DiSE athletes will be better equipped to combine their sporting aspirations with their educational endeavours and acquire the skills, knowledge, and competencies required to pursue excellence in the game and beyond their athletic career.
The DiSE programme delivers a comprehensive syllabus of learning to assist youth basketball athletes in gaining additional qualifications and achieving their full potential within the game, work, and life in general. Each DiSE athlete will study Technical & Tactical Skills; Physical Capabilities; Psychological Skills; Nutrition; Lifestyle; How to Communicate Effectively; Developing Own Career; and Health & Safety. As a result of studying on the DiSE programme, the aspiring youth basketball athlete will be exposed to elite training and competition environments where their ability to perform at the very highest level will be tested in a bid to advance their level of play.