Our Team

We exist to empower young people to become happy, healthy and community-transformers. There are thousands of young people who can be magnetised by Basketball then led to greater wellbeing and to have a greater impact on their own community.

Our Mission

We empower young people through engagement in Basketball [BALL] activities, education around mental-and-emotional wellbeing and identity [BE] and facilitation of practical experiences to serve local communities and charitable organisations [BETTER].

We work with young people from areas of socio-economic disadvantage, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicities backgrounds and a minimum of half of our participants are Female. We target such populations (not excluding others) to tackle disparities in mental health, physical activity and societal-leadership statistics.

Our Supporters and Partners

Our work is supercharged through partnerships and funding!
We acknowledge, honour and thank all of our supporters for enabling us to empower a generation of ‘Guardian Ballers’!

“Guardian Ballers has become an integral part of our School Community empowering hundreds of children to discuss their feelings and emotions openly and confidently. The elite training for our basketball teams has increased whole-school sporting participation and the results that our teams achieve. The dedication of the team to the betterment of our students' lives matches our vision for providing the best for our students both academically and for personal development of the self"
Headteacher at Multi-Academy Trust
After witnessing impact and investing weekly into Guardian Ballers partnership for over 18 months

Our Staff and Executive Leaders

Kieran Joseph

CEO, Founder and Director

  • Lover of Avocado and Sweet Bubble Tea with Lychee jelly!
  • Wears other hats of work with communities in Rwanda and Chaplain of a Professional Football Club.
  • Former Teacher (PGCE, MA Educational Leadership) and multi-faceted champion of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Scott Neely

Projects Manager and Lead Deliverer

  • ‘The American’ who thrives on at least one peanut butter and ‘jelly’ (jam) sandwich per day.
  • Former professional basketball player and coach competing at highest level in Europe. Also played and coached Coventry Crusaders back in the day.
  • Though he sounds like he’s not from Coventry, he’s worked in 119 schools over 18 years in the area and seems to know people everywhere he goes. He loves the relational side of working with young people.
  • Husband and super dad to 3.

Darius Gichini

Intervention-Programme, Corporate and Partnerships Coordinator

  • The guy that loves sport, culture, podcasts and more podcasts!
  • Wings and chips are my guilty pleasure though on any day of the week.
  • Former Business Analyst, Progress Coach, Careers Coach and now delving deep into third sector work.

Hoey Yin Yip

Well-Being Practitioner

John Bernard

Collaborative Partner- IN-CONTROL Project Deliverer (funded by West Midlands Police)

Chelsea Bell

Well-Being Practitioner

Daniel Freeman

Well-Being Practitioner

  • Loves Dad jokes and lemon and ginger tea. His bright smile might blind you and his dance moves might kill you – but all in all, he’s a fun person to be around…
  • Favourite thing to do outside of work is to either snuggle up with his bible or strike up conversations with fascinating strangers. Likes to rap, write, sing (in the shower) , play basketball and annoying his twin sister.
  • Former psychology student, and aspiring psychotherapist!

Purva Vyas

Operations Assistant and Well-Being Practitioner

Amatullah

Operations Assistant and Well-Being Practitioner

Awa Touray

Lead Deliverer and Media Officer

  • Big believer in the power of positivity and a good laugh!
  • Juggles roles as Media Officer for Guardian Ballers and Secondary School Cover Teacher, whilst being dedicated to empowering young people and building community.
  • Uni baller with a talent for cracking jokes (even if she’s the only one laughing) and spreading her signature bubbly energy everywhere she goes!

Amy Croom

Well-Being Practitioner

Andy Ransberry

Lead Deliverer

Lover of Canadian Maple Syrup and Frisbee

Teacher at Northleigh House School – Basketball Coach – School builder and Teacher Trainer in Liberia

Zainab Remi-Omosowon

Director

I am architect, passionate about creating spaces that support people not just physically but emotionally and mentally.

I am excited to channel my love for crafting inclusive and welcoming environments into initiatives that nurture mental well-being.

I find joy in drawing, cooking/baking and crafting all while cherishing moments with my two little boys!

Andrew Malone

Director

Spends most of his weekends in a field trying to hit a ball into a hole with a stick.

Senior operations leader with experience in compliance, health and safety and people management.

Haran Bains

Director

Tiana Holgate

Director

Steven Hill

Acting 'Critical Friend' to the Executive Board

CEO at CW Mind

Our History

The vision was refined in the fire of family heart-ache, classrooms, international trips and local service.

The PE Teacher, Kieran Joseph, departed his job during the COVID-19 pandemic in a step of faith, leading to a journey that launched a culture-changing mission.

Learn about the story by viewing our Basketball England Article about our Launch Year and Film!

Our Superhero Volunteers and Faithful Friends

Karen

Abi

Zewe

Gregg

Bose

Kath

Rochelle

Dawn

Issy

Raphaella

Get Involved | Help Us To Improve Young People’s Lives

By making a donation to GB, you’ll be supporting the empowering work we do with hundreds of young people in Coventry and Warwickshire each year.

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