O’Byrne: Five-year wait for senior return

Secretary general of Basketball Ireland, Bernard O’Byrne, revealed it will be another five years before the green singlet returns to the senior international stage.

Irish squads at all age-groups were disbanded in early 2010 as the association faced a crippling debt crisis of €1.2 million and O’Byrne admitted it could be as late as 2018 before the senior team is reformed.

Ireland sent both a boys and girls squad to the recent European U16 championships, but O’Byrne pointed to the association’s continued financial troubles as the main stumbling block to participation at senior level.