A SOUTHAMPTON woman has been selected for the Great British wheelchair basket ball squad for the European Championships this year.

Joy Haizelden was one of the twelve athletes who will head to Rotterdam in the Netherlands to represent Great Britain Women at the 2019 European Championships.

The European Championships, taking place from June 30 to July 7, will welcome six competing nations, including world champions the Netherlands and Rio Paralympic silver medallists, Germany.

British wheelchair basketball’s performance director Jayne Ellis said: “We are under no illusions – Europe is an incredibly strong zone with some of the titans of women’s wheelchair basketball heading to the 2019 European Championships.

“Undeniably the competition will be fierce, but we are prepared and ready for the fight. Our GB Women’s Squad is a tight unit both on and off the court; this makes them incredibly effective communicators and they draw strength from one another when it matters most.

“Our approach to the Championships will be simple – one game at a time, laying down our best performance every time, whether it is a pool game or medal game.”

Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced and fast-growing sport that allows non-disabled and disabled people to compete together in its domestic leagues and competition.

There are currently 17,000 people playing the sport in the UK, with a potential participation growth of up to 70,000.

Britain has the largest women’s league in the world and has experienced a 50 per cent increase in university participation in the past few years.

British wheelchair basketball’s chief executive, Lisa Pearce, added: “The UK fan support for women’s wheelchair basketball has been exceptional this season, with a record number of viewers tuning in to watch our domestic Women’s League live broadcast games.

“It is clear that there is an appetite for high quality women’s team sport and wheelchair basketball is no exception.

"We are looking forward to welcoming new fans to our journey during the 2019 Europeans and onto the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

"Fans will be able to keep up-to-date with our GB Women’s Progress throughout the tournament via the British Wheelchair Basketball website.”