The British Basketball Association has re-emerged from the woodwork once again, to announce a new partnership with sports financing firm Galatioto Sports Partners as they target a 2012 launch.
The BBA, founded in 2007 by a group of business, sports marketing and basketball professionals, want to create a commercially viable professional basketball league in the UK (read more in an interview I did with CEO Ron Scott last year here). However, they have come under much criticism since their inception after missing every proposed launch date they have set.
Talking of the BBA’s plans in the UK, Chairman Ken Olisa said:
“Basketball in the UK has long been a headless sport. We have massive street interest and a thriving amateur league environment. Unfortunately, this grass roots enthusiasm isn’t reflected in the professional structures and above. As a result, the UK stands out as the poor child of global basketball with almost every European country beating us organisationally and UK fans reduced to watching foreign matches on TV to find British players in action. The BBA intends to fix that and to restore pride in British basketball for every one of the thousands of players and fans who deserve better.”
The BBA has now targeted a 2012/2013 inaugural season, with a 30-game schedule played between November and April. The league plans to increase the schedule to a 42-game season by year three. The league will consist of 6-8 teams in year one, with expansion toward a goal of 12-16 teams within five years. The organisation also claimed games will be televised nationally via a national broadcast partner which will be announced at a later date.
You can read the full press release here.
Don’t hold your breath.
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