BLAIR BACKS BBL
11/16/2008 Tony Blair hopes to fire basketball into the Premier league after the former PM threw his full weight behind British hoops and the BBL.

Tony Blair hopes to fire basketball into the Premier league after the former PM threw his full weight behind British hoops.

The ex-Labour leader courted the BBL's big guns this week after revealing he used to skipper his school side.

And Blair - renowned as a big bench player in Westminster - went one-on-one with Newcastle Eagles' player-coach Fab Flournoy to prove his hoops credentials.

Now the Tony Blair Sports Foundation will fund coaching roles to support emerging players across the North East.

And sports-mad Blair said: "After a fantastic first year I am delighted o say that the Foundation is going to support basketball.

"The Newcastle Eagles have a superb youth set up, but there is still a need to find more of the young talent that I believe is available here in the North East.

"This is where local coaches and volunteers play a major and important role."

BBL chairman and Newcastle owner Paul Blake believes Blair's backing will give British basketball the boost it needs in the build up to 2012.

And he added: "Tony loves his sport and always wanted to add a fifth discipline to his Foundation's roster.

"He was surprised to hear that basketball is now officially the fourth biggest weekly participation sport in the UK behind football, rugby and cricket.

"He showed some talent for the game going one-on-one with Fab but I think we've got a fairly settled squad right now!"

Simon Rushworth for 24/7