SOUTHEND Swifts are flying their FitzWimarc School home in a bid to strengthen their position as one of the leading development basketball clubs in the country.

The club will move their playing base to Eastwood High School, where they will join with the Southend School Sports Partnership to provide both primary school and community-based coaching.

Eastwood’s sports hall is being completely refurbished and will provide a superbly appointed facility for National League games and training sessions.

Swifts chairman Paul May was naturally delighted with the news “We have expanded our club dramatically over the past two years and have been in a desperate need for greater use of the sports hall,” said May "FitzWimarc School, where we have been based for the past season, have been tremendously sympathetic to our needs.

“But they were set up as a cricket centre, which means that our usage was severely curtailed from Christmas through to May, and that is the crucial period of our playing season.

“We would like to place on record our thanks to FitzWimarc, and Julie Parrott, their head of PE, for their assistance.

“But when we were approached by Scott Maclean, head of PE at Eastwood, to move our club base there, it really was a straightforward decision.

“We will have use of the hall on three evenings a week as well as both days at the weekend and this will enable us to satisfy the huge local demand from our young people who want to play basketball.

“We have seven National League teams as well as a men's side playing in the Essex league and this will allow them all regular training sessions.

“We are also very excited in doing community work, principally with local primary schools.”

Swifts head coach Stephen Pearl has already visited Eastwood Primary and Our Lady of Lourdes with groups of players and has received positive feedback.

“We will continue this work throughout the next school year, which will be part of an Education through Sport scheme designed to promote a healthy lifestyle as well as introducing the game,” added May.

Maclean said the Swifts arrival was a real feather in Eastwood’s cap.

“We are obviously aware of the sporting success that Swifts have had both nationally and internationally,” he said.

“We want to raise the profile of basketball within the school and, with us effectively having a new sports hall, this seemed a perfect opportunity of bringing the two organisations together.

“We have a number of local feeder primary schools, and this, through the School Sports Partnership, allows us to work more closely with them.

“I am sure that we will be able to engage with the youngsters to bring the game of basketball to many more school pupils.”

Full details of training and playing times will be announced by the club shortly.