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NATIONAL League Men’s Basketball will return to Killarney for the 2017-18 season following an absence of almost a decade. Basketball Ireland confirmed today that the St Paul's Basketball Club application for a place in the Division One Men’s league has been accepted.

St Paul's application to the Men’s National Competitions Committee (MNCC) of Basketball Ireland was submitted in recent weeks and it also involved a presentation and interview in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght last Saturday. Club members Paul Sheehan, Philip O'Connor and Mark O'Leary presented an impressive case before the adjudicating panel to guarantee the return of top-flight basketball to Killarney.

St Paul's Basketball Club Chairman Padraig Weldon said everybody in the club is delighted with the news. "It is fantastic to welcome national league basketball back to Killarney. It is something that we have been striving for in recent years. There is a great tradition of basketball in Killarney and having a senior team competing at national level gives our young players something to aspire to. It is a big step for everyone associated with the club and I am appealing to all past and present members and anyone interested to get involved. Even if you have zero knowledge of basketball, there are several areas where volunteers are more than welcome to assist the club with their time and expertise," he said.

Basketball Ireland has yet to announce the structure of the national league division one next season but it is possible that it may be a northern and southern conference style league system. That would mean that St. Paul's would compete in the southern conference with teams such as Ballincollig, Neptune, Fr Matthews, Killorglin, Limerick, Kilkenny, Portlaoise and others. The Killarney side plan to acquire the services of an American player and are also likely to include at least two European players. The rest of the squad will be made up of local Killarney players while St Paul's also hope to reach out to other clubs in the East Kerry area where a structured link would allow some of these players to play national league basketball.

There is a proud tradition and great history of national league basketball in Killarney. Paudie O'Connor and the Gleneagle St. Vincent's brought in the first Americans to Irish Basketball in 1979 and enjoyed national league success at the time. St. Vincent's competed in the national league until 1987. St Paul's Basketball Club (founded in 1985) first entered the national league in 1993 and competed at Superleague level until 2008.