In 1971 Waterford Glass, as it was at the time, built and opened the Waterford Glass Sports Centre.

 

Within the facility was an outdoor basketball court and it wasn’t long before a number of workers in the Glass under the leadership of Eddie Walsh (RIP) started playing there and started a club. 

In early 1972 Eddie approached Mick Evans, who was also working in the Glass and had played underage basketball, to get involved.

 

Eddie Walsh started the club in 1971and Mick joined six months later in early 1972.
 
 

Eddie and Mick were to the forefront of the club until Eddie's passing in 2015.

The club started to grow and the addition of an indoor sports hall in the Glass Centre in the early 80’s was a game changer. This attracted new players to the team and it changed from just being a works team to a club team.

  

At the same time a number of ladies joined the club, giving rise to the development of a ladies team. Both teams were made up of both employees of the company and a number of players that had come through local schools, St Paul's and the Presentation.

Mick took charge of the Men’s side of the club and Eddie the Ladies. 

Around the same time the club name changed to Waterford Crystal Basketball Club in line with the Company name change.

From a ten-year period to the mid 90’s, both teams travelled all over the country playing in various tournaments, improving all the time. 

 

Around the end of that period the ladies team fell away due to a lack of players. 
  

Another big milestone for the club during that period was that it brought in its first US players.
  

Between 1995 and 1998 the men’s team became the best intermediate team in the country, going two and a half years without losing a game including winning the National Intermediate Championship twice.  With very little left for the club to achieve at that level they approached the Company for sponsorship to enter a Waterford Crystal team in Division 1 of the Men’s National Senior League.  The Company agreed and the following season the club brought its first two professional players Rob Nurse and Trent Forbes. 
 
In that first season the team won promotion to the Basketball Ireland Super league.
 

Waterford Vikings Basketball Club
 
With the demise of Waterford Crystal as a company the basketball club now concentrated on underage basketball.

The young players decided it was time for a name change, they came up with a name and Waterford Vikings came into being.

 
The former Super League players were now the backbone of club, a number of whom had their own children playing. They started with under 12 and 14’s and an academy for under 10’s they then progressed and within a few years the club had teams competing from under 12 to 18.

The under 18 team played in the Cork League and the South East League.

 

As those players progressed the Club made the decision to enter Division 1 of the Basketball Ireland National League with the support of WIT. 

 

The team played as WIT Waterford Vikings now SETU Waterford Vikings. 

 Waterford Vikings now has teams at under 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 and senior level as well as an academy for under 10.