Kilkenny Swifts are dreaming of National Cup glory this weekend

Irish Wheelchair Association sport club, South East Swifts are back in the Basketball Ireland National Cup final. The Swifts will face Cork’s Rebel Wheelers Multi-Sport Club on Friday at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, Dublin.

Based between Carlow and Kilkenny it’s the club’s second time reaching the final in three years, after the side lost to Rebel Wheelers in a fierce contest in 2024.

Swifts player, Liam Blake reflected on how the National Cup is the pinnacle for his team.

“In any sport the National Cup is where you want to be,” he said. “Given that two years ago we were in the final and then last year we kind of fell apart in the quarter-finals and lost, we knew we really wanted to get back to the final.

“To be in the final against Rebel Wheelers again is going to be great because we were so close to them the last time,” he added. “We’ve definitely improved so to have another crack at them is going to be a lot of fun.”

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With members travelling from as far as Limerick, Wexford and Wicklow, the squad have developed a close bond and that reflects in their performance so far in the Irish Wheelchair Basketball League, as they remain the only undefeated team this season.

South East Swifts is always open to new members, with Blake hoping their recent success will encourage more wheelchair users to join the club.

“South East Swifts is a great club to be a part of,” he said. “Personally, as one of the newer members I can say they were very welcoming but were also very competitive and relaxed. You need all of those to be a competitive club. But even if you’re not interested in playing Wheelchair Basketball itself, come and support us because anyone I’ve ever heard talking about the sport that’s a newcomer has always been surprised at how fast and competitive it is.”

The South East Swifts welcome people with a physical disability from the age of 15 and over to join and their training is based in Kilkenny. The South East Swift Juniors is available to those with a physical disability from the ages five to 15 and train in Carlow.

To register for either the senior or junior South East Swifts, check out the IWA Sport’s find your club page at www.iwa.ie