Two people with Wellington roots are committed to growing basketball and flag football overseas. During a trip to England this month, two members of the May family bridged the international gap with instructional/coaching sessions in these two American sports.
From July 8-13, Mike May and Emily May visited England’s Isles of Scilly (pronounced “silly”) for a six-day visit. During their trip, they provided complimentary instruction in basketball and flag football for more than 100 school children who attend the local Five Islands Academy. Spalding provided basketballs for these international coaching clinics, and NFL UK & Ireland supplied flags, belts and footballs for the flag football clinics, as part of the NFL Flag schools program.
The Isles of Scilly are located roughly 30 miles off the southwest coast of England, where the most westerly edges of the Bristol Channel and the English Channel intersect with the North Atlantic Ocean. Accessible by air or by sea, they are an island archipelago where there are more than 100 islands, atolls and rocky outcrops, but only five of the islands are inhabited — St. Mary’s, St. Martin’s, St. Agnes, Tresco and Bryher. The combined population of the five islands is roughly 2,100 people.
Mike, 63, and Emily, 31, have strong ties to basketball. For 10 years, Mike coached girls varsity basketball at Berean Christian School, and he currently officiates youth and travel basketball in South Florida, while Emily is the current head coach of the girls varsity basketball team at Westminster Christian School in Miami. She is also the assistant coach of the women’s basketball team at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens and is one of the head coaches for Miami Impact, a girls travel basketball program in Miami-Dade County. She played high school basketball at Berean and is also a former player with the Wellington Wolves travel basketball program.
During the basketball and flag football clinics at Five Islands, the May family taught the fundamentals of both sports — dribbling, passing, catching, shooting, rebounding and defensive positioning in basketball, and throwing, catching, route running and flag pulling in flag football.
This was the third free basketball clinic on the Isles of Scilly by the May family, following earlier clinics on the islands in 2017 and 2022.
“Back in 2017 and 2022, the large number of students in attendance really made the experience that much more exciting,” Emily recalled. “My favorite part of the entire day was hearing the students’ comments and reactions after we finished the clinic. They asked questions about the game of basketball and NBA teams back in the U.S. It will be a special opportunity, again, to share the games of basketball and flag football with a younger group of avid enthusiasts.”
This summer’s clinics were well-received by the local school children.
“It will be great having the May family share their expertise on the games of basketball and flag football,” said Adam May (no relation), a physical education teacher at the school. “Their attention to detail and interest in sharing their knowledge of both sports is fabulous.”
The Spalding basketballs and flag football gear from NFL UK & Ireland will remain with the school as a gift to its physical education and basketball programs. Athletic footwear from Adidas was provided for Mike and Emily May by Kratz Sporting Goods, which is based in Clarksville, Indiana. Basketball apparel, which was presented as gifts to a few standout clinic participants, was provided by the Wellington Wolves travel basketball organization.
“As a global leader in basketball, Spalding takes great pride in promoting and supporting the game of basketball all around the world,” said Brian Collins, vice president of marketing for Spalding. “Clinics like this are a great way to encourage young athletes to play sports and to promote skill development while having fun.”
Mike and Emily May have been posting highlights of their trip to the Isles of Scilly on social media.
