British Basketball League

British Basketball League
Founded 1987 (1987)
First season 1987–88
Country  Great Britain
Number of teams 12
Level on pyramid 1
Domestic cup(s) BBL Cup
BBL Trophy
International cup(s) FIBA Champions League
FIBA Europe Cup
Current champions Leicester Riders (4th title)
Most championships Newcastle Eagles (7 titles)
TV partners FreeSports, BBC Sport
Website bbl.org.uk
2018–19 British Basketball League season

The British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain, the highest level of play in the country. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the BBL Championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy, as well as the post-season Play-offs.

The BBL is not to be confused with the English Basketball League (EBL) or the Scottish Men's National League, which effectively form the second tier of British basketball. There is currently no promotion or relegation between the English and Scottish leagues and the BBL because of the franchise system in use in the BBL, although several clubs have been elected from the EBL in recent years.

Currently the League consists of 12 teams with representation from both England and Scotland[1]. Member franchises of the BBL jointly own the league,[2] and a chairman is elected by the teams to oversee league operations. The head offices are located in Leicester,[3] where the country's oldest team, the Leicester Riders is also based.

In 2012 the BBL, along with several other basketball governing bodies including England Basketball and basketballscotland, united to form the British Basketball Union, an organisation created to promote the commercial development of basketball within Great Britain.[4] In partnership with England Basketball, the BBL launched a women's league in 2014, branded as the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL).[5]

History

See: List of British Basketball League seasons

The British Basketball League was formed in 1987 as clubs opted for a franchise-based competition without promotion or relegation. In 1988 Portsmouth won the inaugural BBL Championship title but the following year saw Kingston win the first of three back-to-back league crowns.

The 1990s also saw a growth in popularity and commercialism of the league. Games became televised and the league picked up sponsors such as Peugeot, Lego, Playboy and Budweiser, while attendance at games increased. The Manchester Giants opened the 1995–96 season in front of a record 14,251 fans at the Nynex Arena against the London Leopards – a record crowd that stood for a basketball game until 2006 when the NBA started staging pre-season games at the O2. London Towers, Crystal Palace and the Greater London Leopards had success in the mid-1990s and in 1999 a Conference format was introduced, which was mirrored by the lower-tier NBL the following season. The two conference champions met in a championship series at the end of the season for the next three years.

A single-conference format for the BBL returned in 2002 and five different franchises won the Championship title in the five years after that. However the new millennium also saw a series of drawbacks for the BBL. The collapse of ITV Digital cost the league financially, with many franchises struggling to recover from the lost revenue that the £21 million contract was providing. Long established franchises such as the Giants, the Leopards, Derby Storm, Thames Valley Tigers and Birmingham Bullets ceased to exist, though new teams have since been formed under the Giants and Leopards names.

The membership crisis brought about the addition of new franchises such as Guildford Heat (formed by fans of the defunct Thames Valley Tigers) and elected teams from the lower-tier English Basketball League, like the Plymouth Raiders, both making a refreshing impact on the old boys, with the Heat qualifying for the Play-offs in their rookie season.

During the same season Newcastle won 30 of their 40 regular season league fixtures to clinch the League Championship crown – the previous season saw the Eagles win 31 matches but lose out to Chester Jets in the final week, by just two points. That title was one of four pieces of silverware won during the dubbed "clean-sweep" season of 2005–06, the Eagles marching on to claim the BBL Cup, BBL Trophy and Playoff's – the complete set.

Guildford Heat, only in their second season in 2006–07, stole the headlines by storming to their first League title coupled with the BBL Cup, to mark a historic moment for the young club and its fans. Plymouth Raiders also put themselves on the map by overcoming their underdog tags to beat Newcastle on their own court in the BBL Trophy final, their first silverware as a BBL team. Newcastle managed to redeem themselves at the very end, after a poor season, by their standards, by claiming the Play-off title against rivals Scottish Rocks.

Former league chairman and Newcastle managing director Paul Blake is marketing the game at home and abroad, and after successfully gaining representation in the ULEB Cup with Guildford Heat's appearance in 2007–08 the league is slowly recovering from a low ebb.

In February 2014, the league announced the 2015 BBL Play-Off Final would take place at The O2 Arena, London, following a string of sell-out attendances at Wembley Arena in 2012 and 2013.[6] The event saw a record breaking crowd of 14,700 in attendance.[7]

The British Basketball League and Basketball England announced in June 2014 the launch of the Women's British Basketball League, the top-level women's basketball league in Great Britain as a counterpart to the BBL.[8]

The league signed a 32-game broadcast deal with BBC which saw both British Basketball League and Women's British Basketball League games broadcast via the BBC Sport website. The three main finals (Cup, Trophy, and Play-Off) would also be broadcast on the BBC Red Button.[9]

In September 2016, the league agreed a six-year deal with Perform, the leading digital sports content and media group, for the distribution and sale of all global media-related rights.[10] The deal also saw every BBL game broadcast live via LiveBasketball.TV.[11]

On January 22, 2018, FreeSports announced they would be broadcasting 15 of the remaining games for the 2018 season.[12]

Corporate structure

Board members

The British Basketball League is an independent company owned by its member clubs. Each club – or franchise as it is known – has an equal shareholding in the BBL and a representative on the board of directors,[2] thus is part of all decision-making regarding League policies, issues, and rules. Ed Percival is the current elected chairman. The following club representative's on the board of directors are:[2]

Franchise Representative
Bristol FlyersAndreas Kapoulas
Cheshire PhoenixMichael Burton
Glasgow RocksDavid Low
Leicester RidersRussell Levenston
London City Royals
London LionsVince Macauley-Razaq
Manchester GiantsJohn Dwan
Newcastle EaglesPaul Blake
Plymouth Raiders
Sheffield SharksYuri Matischen
Surrey ScorchersGavin Baker
Worcester WolvesMichael Donovan

Chairmen

  • John Deacon, Chairman from 1987 to 1988
  • Kevin Routledge, Chairman from 1988 to 2002
  • Vince Macaulay, Chairman from 2002 to 2006
  • Paul Blake, Chairman from 2006 to 2013
  • Ed Percival, Chairman from 2013 to 2015
  • Sir Rodney Walker, Chairman from 2016

Competitions

BBL Championship

The BBL Championship is the flagship competition of the British Basketball League and features all member teams playing a 33-game regular season (in a round robin format), from September through to April.[13] Matches are played according to FIBA rules and games consist of four-quarters of 10 minutes each. Two points are awarded for a win,[13] with overtime used if the score is tied at the final buzzer – unlimited numbers of 5-minute overtime periods are played until one team is ahead when a period ends. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points is crowned as winners of the BBL Championship, and thus British Champions. If points are equal between two or more teams then head-to-head results between said teams are used to determine the winners. In the case of a tie between multiple teams where this does not break the tie, the winners are then determined by the points difference in the games between said teams.[14] Following the completion of the Championship regular season, the top eight ranked teams advance into the post-season Play-offs which usually take place during April.[15]

In the regular season, team schedules are not identical and neither are matchdays, with games scheduled mainly around venue availability. Because of this teams may find themselves playing a series of four or five home games consecutively followed by a straight set of away games. As the regular season is also particularly short many games are played over weekends as 'doubleheaders', whereby a team will play games (possibly a home and away game) on consecutive days, something that is not commonplace in British sports, although often seen in the National Basketball Association and other North American sports.

Play-offs

The post-season Play-offs usually takes place in April, featuring the top eight ranked teams from the Championship regular season compete in a knockout tournament. Teams are seeded depending on their final positioning in the Championship standings, so first-place faces eighth-place, second versus seventh-place, third against sixth-place and finally fourth plays the fifth-placed team. Both the Quarter-finals and the succeeding Semi-finals are played over a two-game series (home & away) with the higher seed having choice of home advantage in the either the 1st or 2nd leg – an aggregated score over the two games will determine which team will advance to the next stage.[13][14] As with the Quarter-finals, teams in the Semi-finals are also seeded, with the highest-ranking team drawn against the lowest-ranking team in one Semi-final and the two remaining teams drawn together in the other Semi-final. The culmination of the post-season is the grand Final, held at The O2 Arena in London, which sees the two Semi-final winners play a one-game event to determine the Play-off Champions.

BBL Cup

The BBL Cup emerged from a breakaway of the English Basketball Association-organised National Cup and was contested for the first time in the 2003–04 season, when Sheffield Sharks were the inaugural winners. The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random – there are no seeds, and a draw takes place after the majority of fixtures have been played in each round. When there is an uneven number of member clubs in the British Basketball League, some pre-selected teams receive byes into the next round. The Cup final is played at the Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, usually in early January.[16]

BBL Trophy[17]

The BBL Trophy traces its origins back to a previous competition known as the Anglo-Scottish Cup – and subsequently the British Master's Cup – which was founded in 1984 and was initially a competition between teams from both the English and Scottish leagues. Following the launch of the new British Basketball League administration in 1987 – who assumed control over the National Basketball League from the English Basketball Association – the British Master's Cup was scrapped and replaced with the newly formed League Trophy.[18] The Trophy competition has historically had a round-robin group stage format used for the first round, however the current competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random – there are no seeds, and a draw takes place after the majority of fixtures have been played in each round. As well as including all BBL member clubs, invited teams from the English Basketball League, and occasionally the Scottish Basketball League, often take part in the Trophy.[19] The Final is usually played in March at a neutral venue.[20]

European Competition

In 2018, the Leicester Riders competed in Europe's third tier of continental basketball, the Basketball Champions League, losing in the first qualification round on aggregate to the Bakken Bears.[21] They became the first British team to compete in European competition since the Guildford Heat featured in the ULEB Cup during the 2007–08 season.

Following their elimination from the Basketball Champions League, the Leicester Riders will play in the 2018-19 FIBA Europe Cup, Europe's fourth tier.[22][23]

To be eligible for entry into the Basketball Champions League or the FIBA Europe Cup, teams must play in arenas with a capacity of at least 2,000 people.[24] Currently the only BBL member teams that meet the tournaments' requirements, apart from the Leicester Riders, are Glasgow Rocks, London Lions, Newcastle Eagles and Worcester Wolves. The Bristol Flyers[25] and Manchester Giants[26] have both begun work on suitable arenas.

The Worcester Wolves were awarded a B-Licence by the EuroLeague, the top tier of European competition, for the 2014–2015 season having won the 2014 BBL Playoffs.[17]

The Newcastle Eagles,[27] London Lions, [28] Glasgow Rocks [29], and Bristol Flyers[25] have all signalled their intentions of playing at a European level in the near future.

Teams

Apparel

As of the 2016/17 BBL season Italian sportswear manufacturer Kappa was the kit supplier for all the 12 teams.[30]

Current teams

Notes

  1. An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
  2. The Hemel & Watford Royals, Leicester City Riders and Sunderland 76ers where all participants in the previous top-flight league, the NBL, when it changed administration to the BBL in 1987.
  3. The Cheshire Jets and Sheffield Sharks were both promoted from the NBL in 1991 and 1994 respectively.
  4. Bristol Flyers (2014), Plymouth Raiders (2004) and Worcester Wolves (2006) have all acquired a franchise licence to compete in the BBL, having all previously competed in the EBL.

Former teams

Potential future teams

During his time as BBL Chairman, Paul Blake outlined a goal for the League to expand to 16 teams[34] with an overall vision to have between 15 and 18 teams playing out of venues with 2,000-plus spectator capacity by 2019.[35]

Recent failed expansion teams
Rumoured expansion teams

Arenas and venues

Primary venues used in the British Basketball League:

Bristol Flyers Cheshire Phoenix Glasgow Rocks Leicester Riders London City Royals London Lions
WISE Arena Cheshire Oaks Arena Emirates Arena Morningside Arena Crystal Palace
National Sports Centre		 Copper Box Arena
Capacity: 750 Capacity: 1,400 Capacity: 6,500 Capacity: 2,400 Capacity: 2,000 Capacity: 7,000
Manchester Giants Newcastle Eagles Plymouth Raiders Sheffield Sharks Surrey Scorchers Worcester Wolves
Trafford
Powerleague Arena		 Sport Central Plymouth Pavilions English Institute
of Sport		 Surrey Sports Park Worcester Arena
Capacity: 1,100 Capacity: 3,000 Capacity: 1,500 Capacity: 1,200 Capacity: 1,100 Capacity: 2,000

Players

All-time statistics leaders

Bold indicates active BBL players.

Last Updated on 20 September 2012

Foreign imports

British Basketball League rules currently allow for each team to have a maximum of three "import" players – from outside of the European Union (EU) and require a work permit to play – whilst the remaining players on the roster must have citizenship of an EU country, either by birth or by naturalisation.[50] The current ruling was integrated at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, reverting from the previous law which allowed for up to four non-EU players on a roster, along with naturalised players.

New rules introduced for the 2012–13 season allow teams to field a maximum of five non-British players per game (including up to three work permitted players), further demonstrating the League's commitment towards developing British players.[51]

Transfer regulations

According to BBL rules, teams must field no more than six import (non-EU) players in any one season, though only three are allowed to be registered to a roster at any one time. Signings are allowed to be made throughout the pre-season and during the regular season until the league's transfer deadline on 28 February, or if during a leap year, the date is 29 February.

Notable former players

Playoff history

Season Champions Result Runners Up Venue
1987–88Murray Livingston (1)81–72PortsmouthWembley Arena, London
1988–89Glasgow Rangers (1)89–86Murray LivingstonNEC, Birmingham
1989–90Kingston Kings (1)87–82Sunderland 76ersNEC, Birmingham
1990–91Kingston Kings (2)94–72Sunderland SaintsNEC, Birmingham
1991–92Kingston Kings (3)84–67Thames Valley TigersWembley Arena, London
1992–93Worthing Bears (1)75 – 74Thames Valley TigersWembley Arena, London
1993–94Worthing Bears (2)71–65Guildford KingsWembley Arena, London
1994–95Worthing Bears (3)77–73Manchester GiantsWembley Arena, London
1995–96Birmingham Bullets (1)78–72London TowersWembley Arena, London
1996–97London Towers (1)89–88London LeopardsWembley Arena, London
1997–98Birmingham Bullets (2)78–75Thames Valley TigersWembley Arena, London
1998–99London Towers (2)82–71Thames Valley TigersWembley Arena, London
1999–2000Manchester Giants (1)74–65Birmingham BulletsWembley Arena, London
2000–01Leicester Riders (1)84–75Sheffield SharksWembley Arena, London
2001–02Chester Jets (1)Sheffield Sharks
2002–03Scottish Rocks (1)Brighton Bears
2003–04Sheffield Sharks (1)Chester Jets
2004–05Newcastle Eagles (1)Chester Jets
2005–06Newcastle Eagles (2)Scottish Rocks
2006–07Newcastle Eagles (3)Scottish Rocks
2007–08Guildford Heat (1)100–88Milton Keynes LionsNational Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2008–09Newcastle Eagles (4)87–84Mersey TigersNational Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2009–10Mersey Tigers (1)80–72Glasgow RocksNational Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2010–11Mersey Tigers (2)79–74Sheffield SharksNational Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2011–12Newcastle Eagles (5)71–62Leicester RidersNational Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2012–13Leicester Riders (2)68–57Newcastle EaglesWembley Arena, London
2013–14Worcester Wolves (1)90–78Newcastle EaglesWembley Arena, London
2014–15Newcastle Eagles (6)96–84London LionsThe O2 Arena, London
2015–16Sheffield Sharks (2)85–78Leicester RidersThe O2 Arena, London
2016–17Leicester Riders(3)84–63Newcastle EaglesThe O2 Arena, London
2017–18Leicester Riders(4)81–66London LionsThe O2 Arena, London

League history

Season Champions Runners Up Third Place
1987–88Portsmouth (1)Kingston KingsMurray Livingston
1988–89Glasgow Rangers (1)Murray LivingstonBracknell Tigers
1989–90Kingston Kings (1)Manchester GiantsSunderland 76ers
1990–91Kingston Kings (2)Sunderland SaintsThames Valley Tigers
1991–92Kingston Kings (3)Thames Valley TigersWorthing Bears
1992–93Worthing Bears (1)Thames Valley TigersLondon Towers
1993–94Thames Valley Tigers (1)Worthing BearsManchester Giants
1994–95Sheffield Sharks (1)Thames Valley TigersLondon Towers
1995–96London Towers (1)Sheffield SharksBirmingham Bullets
1996–97London Leopards (1)London TowersSheffield Sharks
1997–98London Leopards (2)Birmingham BulletsNewcastle Eagles
1998–99Sheffield Sharks (2)Manchester GiantsLondon Towers
1999–00North Manchester Giants
South London Towers
2000–01North Sheffield Sharks
South London Towers
2001–02North Chester Jets
South London Towers
2002–03Sheffield Sharks (3)Brighton BearsChester Jets
2003–04Brighton Bears (1)Sheffield SharksLondon Towers
2004–05Chester Jets (1)Newcastle EaglesLondon Towers
2005–06Newcastle Eagles (1)Scottish RocksSheffield Sharks
2006–07Guildford Heat (1)Sheffield SharksNewcastle Eagles
2007–08Newcastle Eagles (2)Guildford HeatPlymouth Raiders
2008–09Newcastle Eagles (3)Mersey TigersLeicester Riders
2009–10Newcastle Eagles (4)Sheffield SharksGlasgow Rocks
2010–11Mersey Tigers (1)Newcastle EaglesSheffield Sharks
2011–12Newcastle Eagles (5)Leicester RidersWorcester Wolves
2012–13Leicester Riders (1)Newcastle EaglesGlasgow Rocks
2013–14Newcastle Eagles (6)Sheffield SharksWorcester Wolves
2014–15Newcastle Eagles (7)Leicester RidersWorcester Wolves
2015–16Leicester Riders (2)Newcastle EaglesSheffield Sharks
2016–17Leicester Riders (3)Newcastle EaglesGlasgow Rocks
2017-18Leicester Riders (4)London LionsNewcastle Eagles

Media coverage

Basketball receives little national press coverage in the United Kingdom, although coverage is more extensive from the local newspapers in cities where BBL clubs are based, with publications such as The Plymouth Herald, Manchester Evening News, Leicester Mercury, and the Newcastle Chronicle all having dedicated basketball reporters who cover the respective local team. Some national newspapers list results and occasionally provide short summaries of the League's news, but more extensive coverage remains minimal. There was a small surge in interest during the 2005–06 season when many national newspapers such as The Sun reported that former NBA player Dennis Rodman had signed for Brighton Bears only weeks after being evicted from Celebrity Big Brother.[52]

The history of television coverage of the BBL has been sporadic. Previously the League enjoyed coverage from Channel 4 in the 1980s and Sky Sports from 1995 to 2001, where audiences peaked at around 150,000 viewers.[53] The League signed a three-year broadcast deal with the ill-fated digital TV company ITV Digital in 2001, and coverage suffered a sharp decline as the broadcaster struggled and eventually went out of business, resulting in a significant loss of income to member clubs.[54] Television coverage was then infrequent until the 2007–08 season, when international broadcaster Setanta Sports signed a deal to screen one live game a week.[55] In 2010, the League agreed a broadcast rights deal with BSkyB network Sky Sports marking the return of BBL action on Sky Sports after a 9-year gap.[56] The League's own subscription-based online TV station, BBL TV, took over the broadcast of live games from 2013 to 2015, and during the 2013–14 season match highlights were also televised and featured on British Eurosport each week.[57]

In July 2016, the league signed a two-year broadcast deal with the BBC, featuring both British Basketball League and Women's British Basketball League games. The games would be broadcast on the BBC Sport website with the showpiece finals also being broadcast on the BBC Red Button.[9] Alongside the BBC deal, a six-year deal with Perform was signed[10] which saw every BBL game broadcast via LiveBasketball.TV,[11] and a deal followed a year later with UNILAD to broadcast one game a week live via Facebook.[58] FreeSports signed a deal with the league in January 2018 to broadcast games for the remainder of the season, starting with the BBL Trophy Final between Worcester Wolves and Cheshire Phoenix.

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ A 12th team, Leeds Force, folded in 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "British Basketball League". BBL. 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  3. ↑ "ULEB Union des Ligues Européenes de Basket-ball". Uleb.com. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  4. ↑ "New basketball Union looks to create Olympic legacy". BBLfans.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Women's British Basketball League launched". EnglandBasketball.co.uk. 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  6. ↑ http://www.bbl.org.uk/2015-british-basketball-league-play-off-final-to-take-place-at-the-o2/
  7. ↑ http://bbl.org.uk/record-bbl-crowd-at-the-o2-attracts-global-interest/
  8. ↑ "Women?s British Basketball League launched in the UK | BBL". bbl.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Thirty-two BBL and WBBL games to be broadcast live on BBC Sport | BBL". bbl.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  10. 1 2 "BBL and Perform sign major media deal | BBL". bbl.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  11. 1 2 "All BBL games now available via LiveBasketball.TV. | BBL". bbl.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  12. ↑ "FreeSports deal".
  13. 1 2 3 "British Basketball League". BBL. 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  14. 1 2 "British Basketball League". BBL. 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  15. ↑ "British Basketball League". BBL. 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  16. ↑ "BBL Cup". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  17. 1 2 "2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague licence allocation criteria". Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  18. ↑ Page 29 British Basketball League 1996/97 Handbook
  19. ↑ "BBL Cup, Trophy draws made". MVP24-7.com. 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "BBL Trophy". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  21. ↑ "Leicester Riders Fall to Bakken Bears". Leicester Riders. 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  22. ↑ "FIBA Europe Cup Games Confirmed & Tickets On Sale". Leicester Riders. 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  23. ↑ "Eight Teams Join FIBA Europe Cup from Basketball Champions League". FIBA. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  24. ↑
  25. 1 2 "Bristol Flyers Reveal Plans for New Arena". Bristol Flyers. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  26. ↑ "Manchester Giants to Move into New 2000+ Seat Venue from 2019". Hoopsfix. 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  27. ↑ Rayner, Stuart (2016-09-03). "Newcastle Eagles hoping to build for Europe – and pre-season tournament is foundation". nechronicle. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  28. ↑ "British Basketball League hopeful clubs will return to Europe, with more money behind them | Featured News| News | Sportcal". www.sportcal.com. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  29. ↑ "'Success is easy to measure. It's shiny, it's silver and you hold it up': New Glasgow Rocks owner Duncan Smillie sets out his stall". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  30. ↑ http://bbl.org.uk/kappa-poised-to-dominate-basketball-apparel-in-uk-from-2016-17/
  31. ↑ "The Venue". London City Royals. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  32. ↑ "Our Head Coach". London City Royals. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  33. ↑ "Wolves appoint Ty Shaw as new head coach". British Basketball League. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  34. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  35. ↑ "British Basketball League – Printable Version". Talkbasket.net. 2009-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  36. ↑ Mark Woods (2012). "A Royal mess as East London out of BBL". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  37. 1 2 Mark Woods (2013). "Leopards out of BBL, Royals, Tigers doubts". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  38. ↑ British Basketball League (8 July 2013). "East Scotland Warriors to join BBL". Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  39. ↑ Mark Woods (2014). "Surrey to strengthen, Warriors out". MVP 24-7. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  40. ↑ Paul Nilson (2014). "Bristol Academy Flyers ready to soar in BBL". EuroBasket.com. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  41. ↑ "Another new team lands BBL franchise". BBLfans.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  42. ↑ "Reading Rockets apply to join British Basketball League". Getreading.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  43. ↑ "Reading Rockets fail in bid to go up a league because of Rivermead seating".
  44. ↑ "Royals to grace BBL".
  45. ↑ Paul Gilmour (21 July 2010). "Belfast could get a British League basketball team". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  46. ↑ Mark Woods (2011). "Essex pondering capital switch". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  47. ↑ Mark Woods (2011). "Belfast in frame for BBL expansion". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  48. ↑ Colm Heaney (2010). "Belfast aims for BBL franchise". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  49. ↑ Paul Goodwin (2013). "Big time basketball set to return to Doncaster as Danum Eagles consider BBL application". South Yorkshire Times. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  50. ↑ Richard Spiller (2008). "Heat off to winning start". getSurrey.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  51. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  52. ↑ Ian Whittell (2006). "Rodman to return". The Sun. Retrieved 14 January 2006.
  53. ↑ Richard Taylor (8 September 1998). "How Murdoch has changed the face of British sport". The Independent. London. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  54. ↑ "Jets count cost of digital crash". Chester Chronicle. 23 January 2004.
  55. ↑ Mark Woods (2008). "Basketball back on the box". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  56. ↑ "British Basketball League". BBL. 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  57. ↑ "Sky falls in for BBL TV coverage". MVP247.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  58. ↑ "BBL Announce Deal with UniLad for Weekly Facebook Stream". hoopsfix.com.
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