CHRIS Smith has what might seem like an unenviable task to many when the Barrow Thorns players arrive for training on a Wednesday evening.

Standing in the middle of the two courts at Hoops Basketball Centre, Smith takes charge the hour-and-a-half-long practise sessions for both the men's and women's teams concurrently, as both prepare to make their bows in the Basketball England National League this weekend.

For the men, it represents a step up after gaining some experience of this level in the National Founders Cup.

But it is something of a voyage into the unknown for the women as, for the first time, Thorns will be putting a senior female team on the court.

The challenge of running these teams at the same time is one Smith has readily embraced, even if it has taken a lot of juggling ahead of the 2016/17 season to ensure he can give the respective squads his full attention.

“It's going to be a busy year, because I have the under-16s as well,” said Smith, a long-standing coach of the junior sides at Hoops. “Pre-season has taken a lot of juggling to make sure there are no fixture clashes between the teams.

“But I'm looking forward to it and it should be good. It will be nice to see the women actually playing. It's been something we've wanted to do for quite a few years and it's good to get it to fruition.

“We've always had successful junior teams and we've had a senior men's team now for a few years, but the women's team has been the missing bit of the jigsaw for me and the club.”

Funding from both Barrow Sports Council and Sport England to grow participation numbers has allowed the Thorns to finally get a senior women's team off the ground.

It means the female players in the Barrow junior set-up now have a pathway through from youth to adult level and Smith expects to give some of his under-16s the opportunity to sample National League basketball as the season progresses.

The current squad are all players who have come through the club's youth system, many of whom have returned to the area after being away at university or for work.

Among them is former England international Paige Livingston, who brings with her not only experience of the international stage, but also a stint playing abroad while she was working in Malawi

“The last team I played for was the under-16s and now I'm 25, so I'm having to learn all the plays and everything we used to do again,” said Livingston.

“It's going to be difficult, but we'll just look to do our best and see what happens. Hopefully we'll surprise ourselves – and hopefully I won't end up injured after the first game, with my track record!”

The fact that Livingston, at 25, jokingly refers to herself as “the oldie of the team” perhaps gives a good insight into the youthful nature of the side.

Another who is considered one of the senior Thorns players is 24-year-old Sophie Pearson, who started playing for the club at the age of 12 and went on to be part of the North West representative team which won the national championship.

She brings with her coaching experience too, having had a spell as assistant to Smith with the under-16s, and hopes to use that to aid her team-mates as they embark on this new challenge.

“It has helped me because I see where people need to improve and I can see where I need to improve,” said Pearson.

“I feel a bit more confident now and I can help others at the same time when I'm playing, so I can bring some of that experience to when we start playing together.

“I feel like with me having the coaching experience, they expect me to know some stuff if they don't.”

Thorns women face their first examination of the season today when they host Worcester Wolves (tip-off 1pm) in National League Division Two North, while the men begin with a trip to Manchester-based Tameside in Division Four North tomorrow.

“It'll be a tough test for both teams – especially the men, because across the country, there are more men playing basketball than women,” said Smith.

“But some of the teams the women come up against will be tough teams as well and the university teams always have players from abroad who are usually quite skilled. You don't know what you're going to face, but it will be good.

“Even though they've all played for the club, they've never played together as a team, so it will take a little while for them to come together and gel.

“But that's hopefully what they've been doing over the training sessions in the summer and now we can get down to the proper business of games, and it will become even more apparent as we go on.”

It is a particularly onerous task for the women, given they have not even played a pre-season friendly together, with the overriding feeling among the players being a mix of nerves and excitement.

Nevertheless, they remain confident as well ahead of the start of a new era for the Thorns.

“I think once we get our first game out the way, we will be all right,” said Pearson. “I am excited as well – we've been waiting for this for a long time.”