Welcome to Killester Special Olympics Basketball Programme
Killester Special Olympics Basketball programme was set up in 2003, following the World Games in Dublin. It has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with now over 50 athletes attending team training and skills level.
Killester Special Olympics Basketball Programme is an integral part of Killester Basketball Club
Killester Special Olympics Basketball Programme is an integral part of Killester Basketball Club
Ireland Games Payment
Due by March 13th
Payment of €350 per Athlete for the Ireland Games in June 2026 is due by 13th March. Thank you to those who have already paid.
Payment method can be made online or lodged to the club bank account only.
Details are as follows:
IBAN IE35BOFI 900690 91949456
BIC BOFIIE2DXXX
Please ensure you include the name of the Athlete on bank transfers or lodgements.
Payment method can be made online or lodged to the club bank account only.
Details are as follows:
IBAN IE35BOFI 900690 91949456
BIC BOFIIE2DXXX
Please ensure you include the name of the Athlete on bank transfers or lodgements.
Christmas Party
Friday 12th December, 2025
Last Friday night we had our annual Christmas Party, We had a great attendance of athletes, volunteers and coaches and a large number of Killester
super league players from both the women's and men's teams who joined in the fun playing all the Killester teams from the Skills to the Ladies Squad and the Men's C, B and A Teams. There were some hotly contested matches with some great baskets scored by the Special Olympics players!
A selection of photographs from the matches below....
super league players from both the women's and men's teams who joined in the fun playing all the Killester teams from the Skills to the Ladies Squad and the Men's C, B and A Teams. There were some hotly contested matches with some great baskets scored by the Special Olympics players!
A selection of photographs from the matches below....
When we were finished watching some great matches Santa Clause arrived taking time out from his busy schedule to hand out gifts to all the athletes. it was a wonderful night and everyone went home happy.
Many thanks to to the Committee who contributed to organising the Christmas Party, the Volunteers and coaches who ran it and to the Super League players who made the time to come and be a part of the night. Also, a big thank-you to Santa Claus who had chats and gifts for everyone and even sang a Christmas song with everyone!
A Team V Killester under 17's
Friday 28th December, 2025
The match got off to a fast pace which continued through the game and was played to a high standard. The A Team were leading at half time but were unable to maintain their pace against very strong opposition. the Killester Under 17's pulled away in the 3rd quarter and held their lead to the end. It was a very competitive match and really enjoyable to watch. Congratulations to both teams!
Ladies Division 2 Team V Blue Dolphins
Friday 5th December, 2025
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This was a fast-paced and competitive game with both teams going up and down the court.
Killester played well but Blue Dolphins had a couple of big, strong players who made a difference to the score line and won 24-12 in the end. it was a great match to watch and was played with a great spirit right to the end. Congratulations to both teams. Men's Practice match V Blue Dolphins The Ladies game was followed by a men's practice match against Blue Dolphins. the Killester team was made up of mostly B Team players plus a couple of players from the A Team. |
Welcome back to the New Season
It is great to see all the athletes, volunteers and coaches after the summer. Already the athletes are training hard on Friday nights helped on by the volunteers and coaches. It is a truly team effort!
The Skills athletes learning how to pass, dribble and shoot for baskets.
The Ladies Team being presented with medals for winning their league last season by two of the Killester Superleague players.
All the teams are being put through their paces each week from the Ladies Team through the Mens C, B and A Teams.
And here are some photos to show all the hard work!
The Skills athletes learning how to pass, dribble and shoot for baskets.
The Ladies Team being presented with medals for winning their league last season by two of the Killester Superleague players.
All the teams are being put through their paces each week from the Ladies Team through the Mens C, B and A Teams.
And here are some photos to show all the hard work!
New Season Training times
From Friday 26th September 2025-2026
For Friday 26th September the sessions will change TO NEW TIMES:
Skills will be on from 6.30pm until 7.15pm
Mens C team will be from 6.30pm until 7.25pm
Ladies team will be from 7.25pm until 8.20pm
Mens B team will be from 8.20pm until 9.10pm
Mens A team from 9pm until 9.50pm
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Killester special Olympics
Season 2025-2026 2025-2026 Annual Subscriptions: Men’s A, B and C €140 pa Ladies €140 pa Skills €90 pa Payment Details Transfer or lodge To Club Bank Account IBAN - IE35BOFI 900690 91949456 BIC - BOFIIE2DXXX Please ensure you include name of Athlete on bank transfer/lodgement. If you have any queries on the above, please contact me on 086 2738841. Patricia Morris Killester Special Olympics Basketball Club. |
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Congratulations to Ashwin who recently completed an introductory referee course.
He is pictured here with the Dublin Officials Association tutors, Ken and Joe.
Well done, Ashwin, from all at Killester Special Olympics Basketball Club!
He is pictured here with the Dublin Officials Association tutors, Ken and Joe.
Well done, Ashwin, from all at Killester Special Olympics Basketball Club!
Ashwin's Referee Course
My experience with Basketball Ireland Referee Course
The Basketball Ireland refereeing course was a good experience for me.
It was a two-day weekend course which was 30th August (Saturday) and 31st August (Sunday).
The location was in Alsaa Sports Centre, just right beside Dublin Airport.
During the two days of the course we learned the rules of how to be a referee, how to make the decisions by using your referee whistle, where to move in the court as a referee, what uniform I need to wear as a referee and we also had turns of practising how to referee matches. Some matches I played and one match I refereed the game which was tricky but what I learned was to always blow your whistle if there is a foul etc. You have to move up and down the court and communicate well with your assistant referee.
I have to give a big thank You to Killester Basketball Club for this opportunity and a huge thanks to John Davis for being a wonderful mentor and learning through the questions and rules with me for the two days of Basketball Ireland referee course. I learnt a lot.
So since I have finished the referee course I am qualified and registered with Basketball Ireland as a Trainee Referee.
I am hoping to get an opportunity to referee some basketball matches in the future particularity in the Special Olympics basketball matches.
the two course tutors who were Ken and Joe who are referees for Basketball Ireland were wonderful and explained every detail and made sure that all of us who attended the course were listening, taking notes and learning the referee rules so a big thank you to both of them!!!
The Basketball Ireland refereeing course was a good experience for me.
It was a two-day weekend course which was 30th August (Saturday) and 31st August (Sunday).
The location was in Alsaa Sports Centre, just right beside Dublin Airport.
During the two days of the course we learned the rules of how to be a referee, how to make the decisions by using your referee whistle, where to move in the court as a referee, what uniform I need to wear as a referee and we also had turns of practising how to referee matches. Some matches I played and one match I refereed the game which was tricky but what I learned was to always blow your whistle if there is a foul etc. You have to move up and down the court and communicate well with your assistant referee.
I have to give a big thank You to Killester Basketball Club for this opportunity and a huge thanks to John Davis for being a wonderful mentor and learning through the questions and rules with me for the two days of Basketball Ireland referee course. I learnt a lot.
So since I have finished the referee course I am qualified and registered with Basketball Ireland as a Trainee Referee.
I am hoping to get an opportunity to referee some basketball matches in the future particularity in the Special Olympics basketball matches.
the two course tutors who were Ken and Joe who are referees for Basketball Ireland were wonderful and explained every detail and made sure that all of us who attended the course were listening, taking notes and learning the referee rules so a big thank you to both of them!!!
Club Social Night
23rd May 2025
Last Friday night Coaches, Volunteers and Athletes were joined by their families at The Beachcomber for the end-of-season social night to celebrate the end of a great season.
There was a lot to celebrate with the Mens A and B teams and the Ladies Team having won gold medals at the Eastern Region Games in Gormanston College the previous week-end and a special Skills 20 year Recognition Award for Rebecca.
It was a very relaxed and sociable night where chat and banter were exchanged and music was supplied by Illia.
The food served was delicious and so was a special cake, with the design of our match jersey on it, expertly cut by Rebecca
Best wishes for a happy summer.
There was a lot to celebrate with the Mens A and B teams and the Ladies Team having won gold medals at the Eastern Region Games in Gormanston College the previous week-end and a special Skills 20 year Recognition Award for Rebecca.
It was a very relaxed and sociable night where chat and banter were exchanged and music was supplied by Illia.
The food served was delicious and so was a special cake, with the design of our match jersey on it, expertly cut by Rebecca
Best wishes for a happy summer.
Eastern Region Basketball Games
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May
On Saturday 17th May all Eastern Region basketball Mens teams gathered at Gormanston College for divisioning of teams and then a round robin of matches among the various divisioned teams, after which players will be selected to represent Eastern Region at the 2026 National Games. It was a beautiful day and a great atmosphere as match followed match.
The Killester Mens A Team, because they had no opposition teams in the Eastern Region, played Kerry
All Stars who came up for the event. They had played once before in Kerry and the match was played at a ferocious pace. It was nip and tuck to the final whistle with the lead changing from team to team and Killester came out on top in the end. A truly great game.
The matches for our Killester Mens B Team were hard-fought games also. The B Team won both their round robin games against Southside Shooters and Kildare to win the gold medal.
On Sunday it was the Ladies Team's turn to play. Once again, after a series of matches they also came out on top winning gold medal.
A fantastic result for the club, an unprecedented gold medal for all three teams, and congratulations to all the players!
The Killester Mens A Team, because they had no opposition teams in the Eastern Region, played Kerry
All Stars who came up for the event. They had played once before in Kerry and the match was played at a ferocious pace. It was nip and tuck to the final whistle with the lead changing from team to team and Killester came out on top in the end. A truly great game.
The matches for our Killester Mens B Team were hard-fought games also. The B Team won both their round robin games against Southside Shooters and Kildare to win the gold medal.
On Sunday it was the Ladies Team's turn to play. Once again, after a series of matches they also came out on top winning gold medal.
A fantastic result for the club, an unprecedented gold medal for all three teams, and congratulations to all the players!
Killester Mens C Team
Killester Ladies Team
Killester Mens B Team
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Southside Shooters
Friday, 7th March 2025
On Friday, 7th March Killester Special Olympics hosted three teams from Southside Shooters to play our Mens C Team, Ladies Team and Mens B Team. This is the first time a triple-header was held with another club!
We had the spectacle of three superb matches with lots of cheering and encouragement for all the teams which made for a great atmosphere.
The Mens C Team took to the floor first. It was a fast-paced game, up and down the court. Even though Southside Shooters were very competative, our team came out on top. A great win for the C Team.
We had the spectacle of three superb matches with lots of cheering and encouragement for all the teams which made for a great atmosphere.
The Mens C Team took to the floor first. It was a fast-paced game, up and down the court. Even though Southside Shooters were very competative, our team came out on top. A great win for the C Team.
The Ladies Team played next. Once again an exciting game to watch with lots of action and plenty of baskets scored by both teams. However our Killester Ladies prevailed in the end and won the match.
Finally our Mens B Team played. Again this was an exciting game, fast-paced from end to end. the scores were level at half-time, but Southside Shooters were stronger in the second-half and pulled away to win.
All six teams played in a great spirit of sportsmanship and gave the spectators a night to remember. Well done all!
Killester Men's B Team V Sports Club 15
Friday 15th November, 2024
Also
Killester Men's C Team V Leixlip
Friday 22nd November, 2024
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First matches of the season
Mid November saw the first two league matches of the season, both played at
home in Bayside and both matches played in an excellent spirit and at a good
pace.
On 15th November, the Mens B team played Sports Club 15 B.
Killester got away to a fast start and soon led by 10 points. They were strong on defence and passing well. The scoring was well spread around the team.
SC15 came back into it in the third quarter with a few nice baskets, but Killester steadied the ship and pulled away again in the final quarter.
The final score was 33-13 to Killester.
On 22nd November, the Mens C team opened their season against Leixlip.
Killester started slowly, with quite a few shots not quite dropping, while
Leixlip's shooting was high standard and they led at half time.
Killester came into the game after that, especially with better defence, and the
second half was very even. But Leixlip were able to maintain their lead and
in the end won out by 22-11.
Match reports thanks to Eugene
Mid November saw the first two league matches of the season, both played at
home in Bayside and both matches played in an excellent spirit and at a good
pace.
On 15th November, the Mens B team played Sports Club 15 B.
Killester got away to a fast start and soon led by 10 points. They were strong on defence and passing well. The scoring was well spread around the team.
SC15 came back into it in the third quarter with a few nice baskets, but Killester steadied the ship and pulled away again in the final quarter.
The final score was 33-13 to Killester.
On 22nd November, the Mens C team opened their season against Leixlip.
Killester started slowly, with quite a few shots not quite dropping, while
Leixlip's shooting was high standard and they led at half time.
Killester came into the game after that, especially with better defence, and the
second half was very even. But Leixlip were able to maintain their lead and
in the end won out by 22-11.
Match reports thanks to Eugene
Skills Athletes Hard at Work
Friday, 15th November
Our athletes in the Skills section of our club work hard every Friday practicing shooting, dribbling and passing the basketball, all the skills needed in the sport demonstrated by some photographs below.
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Halloween Holidays |
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Next Friday, 25th October, there will only be training for the Men's A and Men's B teams and that will be from 8pm to 9pm.
The following Friday, 1st November, there is no training for the Halloween break.
Training for all athletes resumes again on Friday, 8th November.
Wishing you all a happy Halloween and looking forward to seeing you all back on Friday, 8th.
The New Season 2024-2025
Friday 13th September
We hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxed summer and are all revved-up for the new season to begin on Friday, 13th September.
Skills will start at 7pm until 7.45pm
Mens C Team start at 7pm until 7.50pm
Ladies Team start at 7.50pm until 8.50pm
Mens A and B Teams start at 8.50pm until 9.50pm
We will look forward to seeing all athletes, volunteers and coaches again.
Skills will start at 7pm until 7.45pm
Mens C Team start at 7pm until 7.50pm
Ladies Team start at 7.50pm until 8.50pm
Mens A and B Teams start at 8.50pm until 9.50pm
We will look forward to seeing all athletes, volunteers and coaches again.
Killester Special Olympics Mens A Team goes International! Saturday, 30th March 2023
Last Saturday, 30th March the Mens A team along with coaches Martin and Eugene, volunteer Edward and chief supporter, Orla set off from Dublin Airport for London in the pre-dawn hours of the morning to play by invitation in a UK Special Olympics regional basketball tournament. In London, they made their way to Kensington Leisure Centre by tube and bus.
Killester played in the A Division of the tournament. Our first match was against Chiefs Basketball from Hertfordshire which was a tough match but Killester came out on top in the end. We then had a match against London Basketball whom we also beat to put us into the final.
There was a break for lunch and then Chiefs had a play-off match with London Basketball which Chiefs won.
So, to the final, the last match of the day with everyone watching, Killester got off to a strong start and led at half-time but Chiefs came back well to level the score. However, Killester’s overall strength came to the fore and we pulled away to win in the end. Our gold medals were presented by the actor Jim Carter (the butler in Downton Abbey)!
It was an excellent event with a good standard of opposition which our players really enjoyed. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to represent your club playing sport in a different country. Even more importantly our team was widely complemented by UK Special Olympics and by our opponents on both our high standard of play and the spirit and manner in which we played the game.
Thanks also to Trish who did most of the organisation of the trip.
Well done to all!
Killester played in the A Division of the tournament. Our first match was against Chiefs Basketball from Hertfordshire which was a tough match but Killester came out on top in the end. We then had a match against London Basketball whom we also beat to put us into the final.
There was a break for lunch and then Chiefs had a play-off match with London Basketball which Chiefs won.
So, to the final, the last match of the day with everyone watching, Killester got off to a strong start and led at half-time but Chiefs came back well to level the score. However, Killester’s overall strength came to the fore and we pulled away to win in the end. Our gold medals were presented by the actor Jim Carter (the butler in Downton Abbey)!
It was an excellent event with a good standard of opposition which our players really enjoyed. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to represent your club playing sport in a different country. Even more importantly our team was widely complemented by UK Special Olympics and by our opponents on both our high standard of play and the spirit and manner in which we played the game.
Thanks also to Trish who did most of the organisation of the trip.
Well done to all!
Killester Ladies team V Blue Dolphins
Friday, January 19, 2024
In their first league match of the New Season the Killester Ladies Team played Blue Dolphins in a hard-fought, well contested match both in offence and defence.
By half-time Blue Dolphins were ahead. However, our Ladies Team didn't give up the fight and battled to the end but couldn't catch up the difference in the scores despite scoring some great baskets.
a good game to watch for the supporters from both teams.
Congratulations to both teams on a spirited match.
Men's B Team V Kildare Men's Team
Friday 15 December
Last Friday night the Men's B Team had a league match with the Kildare Men's Team, always a competitive game.
From the tip-off it was a fast-passed game from one end of the court to the other, each team scoring points.
It was a very close match for the first three quarters with the lead changing hands regularly.
It was an exciting match to watch, each team giving their all.
Congratulations to both teams on such an excellent night.
From the tip-off it was a fast-passed game from one end of the court to the other, each team scoring points.
It was a very close match for the first three quarters with the lead changing hands regularly.
It was an exciting match to watch, each team giving their all.
Congratulations to both teams on such an excellent night.
Men's A Team V Killester Under-15 Team
Friday, 17th November 2023
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Men's A in great match
Our Men's A team played a Killester Under-15 team in Bayside on Friday 17th November in what turned out to be a fantastic match. We have been looking for additional fixtures for our Mens A team as there is only one other team in Special Olympics Eastern Region able to play at Division 1 level. So we were delighted with the opportunity to play a Killester Under-15 team. The game itself was fast paced from start to finish and was played in an excellent spirit between two evenly matched teams. The lead changed hands on a number of occasions and the result went right to the wire, final score was 44-43 in favour of Killester Under-15’s. Well done to both teams! Thanks so much to coach Trevor and manager Donna for bringing your team. It is a huge benefit for our Special Olympics athletes to be part of Killester basketball club that is a great supporter of disability and inclusivity, especially evident on occasions such as this. Thanks to Eugene for match report |
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Start of a New Season
Friday 8th September
Once again a new season of basketball has begun and there was a great turn-out of Athletes, Volunteers and Coaches for our Friday night training.
On the first night we had a presentation of gold medals for the Mens A Team and the Mns C Team for winning their leagues last season and silver medals for the Mens B Team for coming joint second in their league.
pictures of the winning teams
On the first night we had a presentation of gold medals for the Mens A Team and the Mns C Team for winning their leagues last season and silver medals for the Mens B Team for coming joint second in their league.
pictures of the winning teams
Ashwin's piece on being presented with his ALPS Bronze Award
Upcoming Match Fixtures
Coaches will contact team athletes to confirm match dates and times
Ashwin's article for his ALPS Bronze Medal
Killester Ladies Team V Swords Ladies Team
Friday 3rd March
Killester ladies team hosted Swords for a league game last Friday in front of a sizeable crowd who made plenty of noise! It was a fast paced game of high quality and high effort throughout, with a very strong Swords team coming out on top.
Killester's full squad of 12 players was on hand and every player acquitted themselves well. Special mentions for Aoibhe, who did really well in what was her first competitive game for Killester, and for Natasha, who showed fantastic energy throughout and had to come off near the end after being it in the face by the ball.
The first quarter was nip and tuck with both teams scoring some excellent baskets. The second and third quarters were tight and low scoring for both sides and the fourth quarter was again very high scoring and exciting, with Swords maintaining the edge throughout.
With thanks for the match report to Eugene
Killester's full squad of 12 players was on hand and every player acquitted themselves well. Special mentions for Aoibhe, who did really well in what was her first competitive game for Killester, and for Natasha, who showed fantastic energy throughout and had to come off near the end after being it in the face by the ball.
The first quarter was nip and tuck with both teams scoring some excellent baskets. The second and third quarters were tight and low scoring for both sides and the fourth quarter was again very high scoring and exciting, with Swords maintaining the edge throughout.
With thanks for the match report to Eugene
Basketball 4 Ukraine
Killester SO selection participate in Social Basketball Fundraiser
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Our Mens and ladies selection were delighted to participate in the Social Basketball Marathon Fundraising event in Bayside on Saturday April 2nd. It was such a well organised event, and our athletes really enjoyed the opportunity to play against many social teams.
We were delighted to be joined by our friends Finn, Se and Luke for the matches. Such a worthy cause, and as of Monday, April 4th, close to €10,000 has been raised for 3 charities involved in humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Well done to the organisers of the event and all those who contributed. |
If you would like to join us for the first time, click here for our contact details.
Back to where we belong...on the court!
⭐ Our Killester stars shine as brightly as the sun ⭐
during our first training session outdoors
You could not dampen the smiles of our Killester athletes, as they returned to training for the first time in 14 long months on Saturday, May 29th at our new outdoor home in Holy Faith, Clontarf. The Committee have been working hard behind the scenes, to ensure a safe return to training, and with the help and cooperation of our wonderful athletes, we pulled it off! Even the weather was on our side, with the best sun shining day anyone could ask for.
Our Mens teams trained first in their pods, under the guidance of Coaches Martin, Eugene and John. They got straight to work on shooting, passing and dribbling drills. Our Ladies followed, getting back into the swing of things, with fundamental movement, passing and shooting drills. As you can see from the photos, everyone had a blast and were delighted to be reunited with their teams.
The Committee is so thankful for the effort of our athletes and their families, following COVID protocols and maintaining distance on the court to develop a new normal of training. Huge appreciation must also be expressed to Holy Faith, who have given us a new temporary home for our return to training. It is such a beautiful facility, we are very lucky to have the use of it for the next few weeks.
Our Mens teams trained first in their pods, under the guidance of Coaches Martin, Eugene and John. They got straight to work on shooting, passing and dribbling drills. Our Ladies followed, getting back into the swing of things, with fundamental movement, passing and shooting drills. As you can see from the photos, everyone had a blast and were delighted to be reunited with their teams.
The Committee is so thankful for the effort of our athletes and their families, following COVID protocols and maintaining distance on the court to develop a new normal of training. Huge appreciation must also be expressed to Holy Faith, who have given us a new temporary home for our return to training. It is such a beautiful facility, we are very lucky to have the use of it for the next few weeks.
While we are not in a position to welcome all of our athletes back just yet, we are hopeful, that with the consistent easing of restrictions, we will all be back together soon. For now, we will continue to schedule zoom sessions on Fridays for those who cannot return before the summer.
Return to Activities Update
May 19th, 2021
We are delighted to announce that we will be in a position to return to a limited schedule of activities outdoors under strict Special Olympics and Government Guidelines. Coaches have been in contact with all teams who can be facilitated at present with details.
For return to activities information, please click here
For return to activities information, please click here
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Our Mens C Athlete Philip celebrated a very special birthday during lockdown
Click here to read all about it
Skills Athletes In Training
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Our Skills Athletes work every bit as hard on improving their basketball skills as do our teams. From dribbling to passing the to shooting are all practiced on Friday nights from 7pm to 7.45pm.
Some athletes go one-on-one with the coaches and some take part in the C Team training and, by the end of the season, they all make great progress. It is from this group that athletes progress on to teams which is always great to see. |
Killester Special Olympics is affiliated to Special Olympics Ireland Eastern Region
