BBL & BBF Agree Ten Year Renewal of Pro License

British Basketball and the British Basketball League (BBL) have agreed terms for a landmark ten-year licence agreement, hoping it paves the way for the long-term development of the professional men’s game in the UK.

The deal is designed to allow the BBL’s clubs the security to build for a long-term future, whilst setting demanding performance standards in commercial, financial, player pathway, coaching and other areas, that the league will be held accountable to.

An outline Heads of Terms was agreed late last year, and the final licence will come into force ahead of the new BBL season tipping off in late September.

“This is a significant step forward in one of the must under-developed team sports in Great Britain,” BBF Chairman Ian Curryer commented.

“This long term deal is aimed at providing very real prospects of not just improving the fortunes of the domestic league but increasing the chance of national sporting success”

Some of the new performance standards include minimum salary levels for players, clubs having to invest at least £75,000 into their player pathway; having four junior teams, as well as a partnership with a local university and academy, teams needing to be long-term anchor tenants at their chosen venue and playing on clean wooden floors, and enhanced player welfare.

The deal also includes a requirement for governance reform, with clubs retaining their shareholder positions, and the BBL being managed by a board of directors, with greater independence.

You can view more details of the deal on this factsheet released with the announcement.

“We are absolutely delighted to reach this ground breaking deal with the BBF,” BBL Chairman Sir Rodney Walker stated.

“The BBL clubs are all committed to growing the game, improving the fan experience, and raising standards, and this licence provides a robust framework within which to make those developments. It has taken some considerable time to get this agreement negotiated, but we are all confident it will provide the game with a solid platform to grow the professional men’s Club game in the UK.”

The licence agreement is one of the key outcomes in relation to Quality Leagues and Clubs, as set out in the Transforming Basketball In Britain Together 2016-2028 document, published in May 2016.

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