Worcester Wolves will launch their new Community Interest Company (CIC) on Saturday with a 12-hour open day.

The University of Worcester-based side are looking to bring all their teams from the British Basketball League to juniors and women under the Wolves banner.

Director of basketball Paul James is also aiming to increase the number of junior sides from two to five.

The CIC is a not-for-profit organisation and is similar to the Football in the Community programmes run by many professional football clubs.

The open day, which kicks off at 9am in the sports hall, will see a number of coaching sessions and several matches including an inter-club game between the ladies, Wolves second string and the BBL squad.

James says he hopes that the CIC will help the Wolves club grow at all levels.

“We are trying to get the community more involved in basketball at all levels no matter what age, disabled or not,” he said.

“At the moment, we only have two junior teams and the ladies team, we only have Saturday morning training sessions.

“Next year we are looking to expand that to three more teams at under 14s, under 12s and possibly another under 18s — it is growing all the time. The important thing is that we weren’t able to expand until we had the coaches in place either.

“Now that we have got the coaches, we can expand on what the Wolves already have.

“The main objective of the CIC is to develop more teams and provide playing opportunities for more people and to play at a level that suits them.

“We also want to start a Central Venue League for players who are not of a national standard as yet — they might be late developers.

“They may be training all the time but they need games as well to see where they are at.”

Despite basketball being considered a minority sport in the UK, James feels the Wolves and the University of Worcester are helping to buck that trend in the city.

With the BBL team out most days visiting schools, the Wolves chief says the sport is growing.

“I think in Worcester they have a great reputation for the work that they are doing with the basketball programme and we are attracting more and more players year in, year out,” James said.

“I think because of what is happening here at the university, the new arena coming along in a couple of years and myself being here being a national coach all helps to attract a quality of player to the university.”

Itinerary — 9am: 11 and under practice sessions for boys and girls, introduction to basketball sessions for 5-7-year-old boys and girls for normal Saturday club; 10am-11am: 11 to 14s practice and coaching sessions as per normal Saturday club for boys and girls; 11am: sponsored free-throw competitions and 3-on-3 matches for the normal Saturday morning sessions; 11am-noon: wheelchair basketball; 11.30am-noon: official opening ceremony for CIC with Worcester Wolves director of basketball Paul James; 11.30am-2.30pm: Under 16s home in the National League (tip-off noon); 2.30pm-4.30pm: Invited clubs and schools’ first introduction to Central Venue League; 4.30pm-6pm: coaching session from Paul James; 6pm-7pm: Under 18s match; 7pm-9pm: Wolves ladies, second team and BBL team inter-club match.