Ireland's basketball stars must continue to foot bill to wear green jersey

Ireland’s elite basketball players will have to keep putting their hands in their own pockets and raising funds independently for the foreseeable future in order to wear the green jersey on the international stage.

The plug was pulled on the entire international programme after the association was plunged into nearly €2m of debt almost overnight in 2009 and the way back has been a slow one.

The green light to return was given only on the basis the teams be self-funded. Basketball Ireland’s Elite Performance Committee (EPC), which oversees all international activity, met last night to discuss the future for various representative sides after the senior men and women returned to the international scene for the first time in seven years this summer.