2016/17 The Bears were promoted to Div 1 South and at the same time recruited Jacob Robinson And Siobhan Fitzpatrick.  The Bears second team went all season unbeaten to win the Div 3 South West league.  The Bears 2 team lost all their games at the National finals.  Bears WWBC won their league in the 3 Division 3a league and gained promotion to the 2nd Div in Women’s league.  The Bears also entered a development team into the National league 4b Division, were they finished top.

2015/16 Bears were promoted to div 2 South and in their first season again won their division but lost out to Swindon Shock at the final of the National Play-offs and winning silver.  This season also seen the Bears enter a Bears 2 team into Div 3 and also a women’s team into the National women’s league for the first time in their history.  The Bears WWBC finished 2nd in the div 3b league.

2014/15  Bears once again entered the league but had recruited new and more established players and finished the season top of Div 3  and went on to win the Div 3 title at the National play-offs

By the beginning of the new 2005 season, they had enough players to enter a second team into the league. For the next couple of years they continued in their development meaning both teams could steadily improve, allowing them to keep moving up the divisions.

In 2008, ‘The Stratford Players’ made a decision to broaden their area of attracting players, rebranding as ‘The Warwickshire Bears’. Building on their already stable foundations, the club then had enough players to enter three teams into the league with the first team in the BWB second division for England South. The club could then enter a second team into the third division Central, as well as forming a development team.

For the further development of the club, it was recognised by the players and coaches, that a new venue was a key aspect of this. It needed to be central to all of the existing players, as well as allowing the opportunity to draw in new players from the surrounding areas. The Warwickshire Bears moved to a newly built Sports hall at Warwickshire College in Henley-in-Arden.

In the 2011/12 season, the Bears first team finished second in the league, qualifying for the national play-offs in Sheffield and promotion to the first Division. Unfortunately, at this time due to the lack of players, the decision was made to pull out of the league and start a concerted effort at recruiting new players.

‘The Bears’ were first formed by Mark Butler and Tom Masterson in 2002. Originally playing for The Midland Panthers, Tom and Mark wanted to form a club in the Warwickshire and Solihull area, allowing local disabled people to play the exciting sport of wheelchair basketball. The club formed as ‘The Stratford Players’, joining the National League in 2003. They show cased their home fixtures at Stratford-upon-Avon High school, while training at St Peters High School, in Solihull, on Tuesday evenings.

During the 2012/13 season, The Bears continued to hold weekly practice sessions and slowly attracted new players to the club. They then re-entered a team into the league in season 2013/14. Due to the BWB league rules, The Bears had to re-enter the league as third Division Central. In their first season back, the Bears finished in a respectable third place. The end of that season saw a major recruitment drive of both new and returning players. Looking over the outstanding season The Bears have just delivered, it is quite clear that pulling out of the 2012/13 season had a…

The Stratford Players’ first season saw them finish top of the third division, promoting them to the second division of the BWB (British Wheelchair Basketball) league. Following their first successful season, ‘The Stratford Players’ consolidated their position and finished mid table of the second division. The team then continued to attract new players going from strength to strength.