Ellan Fraser pinching herself as she trains with Paralympians

By Will Castle, Sportsbeat

THEY say ‘never meet your heroes’, but in the case of wheelchair basketball prodigy Ellan Fraser, she has not just met her heroes - she is teammates with them.

Fraser, 20, is one of Great Britain’s most promising wheelchair basketball players, lighting up the court for Worcester Wolves and receiving further recognition for her talents by earning selection as a beneficiary of SportsAid and Aldi’s Rising Stars programme.

She already has her eyes set on competing at LA 2028 and is sure to have been inspired this summer by ParalympicsGB’s valiant effort at Paris 2024.

She still struggles to comprehend the fact she can call the likes of Amy Conroy and Sophie Carrigill her sporting peers, having idolised the former.

“I've always wanted to play in a Paralympics,” she said, after being selected by Aldi – the official supermarket partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB and official partners of Team GB Nearest & Dearest Programme, supporting athletes’ families. “That's been my end goal.

“I've been to senior World Championships and junior World Championships, so I know all the girls [going to Paris] and they're like my friends. I'm going to feel like a proud parent watching them.

“It's insane [to play alongside Paralympians], it's so cool. I used to look up to Amy Conroy and now I'm playing alongside her.

“I fangirl every time I see her and yet I'm playing against her or alongside her. Genuinely, I can't get my head around it.

“I then go back to my National League club and there's young girls looking up to me and I'm like, ‘wow, this is weird.’”

An incredible 65% of athletes in Paris with Team GB have received financial support and recognition from SportsAid during their sporting journey so far. That’s 224 out of 351 members of the British team.

Fraser is one 1,000 athletes supported each year by SportsAid, who provide crucial financial support as well as offering development opportunities through workshops and visits.

Despite being at an early stage of her career, Fraser already has experience of not just surviving but thriving when the going gets tough on the court, even managing to medal when earth, wind and fire is thrown at her.

“We came second in the U25 World Championships in 2023 in Bangkok, and that was pretty cool because the ceiling fell down,” she said.

“We got there, did our training and then during the opening ceremony, because it was monsoon season, the ceiling fell in the stadium.

“We had to move and try to deal with having two games a day and being behind on schedule. It was weird, but we still managed to come second.”

Bewildered but excited were the feelings of the day for Fraser as she got her first glimpse of the spotlight during a promotional day for SportsAid and Aldi in Poynton.

The opportunity to be part of the SportsAid and Aldi promotional campaign means they will receive enhanced financial Aid Award, to help with the cost of competing, training, and participating in sport, a monthly fruit and vegetable voucher, redeemable at Aldi stores nationwide until the end of the 12-month SportsAid award period, a private tour of Team GB’s Kitting Out experience and media training and nutrition sessions.

Hoping to inspire others into watching or even competing in wheelchair basketball, Fraser is hoping to use the attention directed at her for the greater good of the sport.

“I play a team sport though, I'm not the solo player so I've [usually] got all my teammates with me, so being here on my own today is well strange,” Fraser added.

“I don't normally get my makeup done, so that was the first thing. But just having my pictures taken, people understanding what I do, teaching them about my sport and showing them what I can do in a photoshoot setting.

“Hopefully it makes them go and watch it in the Paralympics as well.”

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.

While the grant has been immensely valuable to Fraser in funding his progression, it’s what she has learnt on the mentality side of things that stands out to her - discovering how to live the life of an elite athlete.

“SportsAid has helped me not just with how expensive my sport is, but also with educational talks on nutrition, strength and conditioning,” she said.

“It’s also helped my parents with how to support their child doing elite sport. My parents and my friends and family have all been so supportive of it.

“When you're in competition, you need that familiar face to go to and be like, ‘I just want a hug’. I feel how proud they are of me, and it makes me want to work harder and do more.”

Aldi and SportsAid are now in their third year of partnership. In 2024, they are supporting six local athletes, who will be part of SportsAid and Aldi promotional campaign, receive enhanced financial Aid Award, a monthly fruit and vegetable voucher, a private tour of Team GB’s Kitting Out experience and a media training and nutrition sessions. For more information visit https://www.sportsaid.org.uk/partners/our-partners/aldi