Sports Media Report
Famer, the sports coaching and mentorship mobile platform, today announced a landmark partnership with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) which will allow professional players and elite trainers and coaches to create and share custom personal training videos and communicate with kids and their parents for free. Hosted on the NBPA Training Ground channel on Famer, these custom videos will feature drills and skill training as well as strength and conditioning workouts. Youth players will also be able to upload their own videos on the interactive platform and receive direct feedback from the best players and trainers in the world. Today marks the launch of this partnership in the US which will expand to reach a larger global audience in the coming months.
The NBPA Training Ground will be presented by Spalding, and its initial launch will feature videos and training with NBPA members including Aaron Gordon, Andre Drummond and others as well as with NBA-level trainers such as Chris Matthews and Tim and Ross Burns.
“The current issue of social distancing in youth sports also brings the opportunity for innovation and engagement with kids in a truly unique way,” said Famer CEO Rich Abend. “This partnership with the NBPA is a great example of how to bring curated communication and training from the world’s best athletes and trainers directly to kids via their mobile phones. It will help kids stay active and connected through COVID-19 but also will continue to grow in the coming months and years for athletes of every skill level around the world.”
“Over the last few years, our NBPA youth camps and training clinics have given us the opportunity to make a positive impact in grassroots basketball in major cities like New York and Los Angeles,” said Dan Gladstone, SVP of Grassroots Basketball & Business Development for THINK450, the for-profit arm of the NBPA. “This collaboration with Famer allows us and our members to digitally connect with the larger grassroots basketball community throughout this pandemic, and also expand our reach and impact globally in the long term. We look forward to having kids of all ages and skill levels train with us and to finding ways to continue to innovate with our players and brand partners.”
“Since entering the league, I’ve come to really appreciate the importance of the fundamentals I learned as a kid,” said Aaron Gordon, whose instructional videos will be available on the NBPA Training Ground. “While in-person youth camps and clinics are temporarily paused, I’m excited that I can still help kids train and pass along some of the tips and drills that I have picked up throughout my basketball career.”
“Spalding is excited to partner with Famer and the NBPA to bring this program to young athletes all over,” said Jack Marquardt, VP Brand Communications for Spalding. “This partnership will enable aspiring players to have access to professional-level training at their fingertips, allowing them an opportunity to develop the skills necessary to take their game to the next level. Spalding is a proud sponsor of this program and hopes that this will continue to ignite the players’ passion for the game.”
Information on the NBPA Training Ground program can be found at www.nbpa.com/grassroots or on the Famer App, available for download here.
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