BBL TO GO IN OCTOBER

The BBL plans to tip off its 2020-21 season on October 2.

With most of the eleven teams expected to be allowed limited numbers of spectators by that date, the campaign will open with the opening rounds of the BBL Cup competition with its Final still scheduled for January 2021 in Birmingham.

This season sees a change to the format of the opening rounds with teams being sorted into three groups rather than two, with the teams who finish bottom in each group being eliminated.

League games begin on Friday November 13 with the BBL Trophy to follow. Last season was the first in the BBL’s history to end without a crowned champion when the coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation in March.

“Planning for the new season has been something we’ve really looked forward to after the disappointment of the early end to last season,” Andy Webb, Chief Operating Officer of BBL, said.

“Seeing the talent that the clubs have been announcing only makes us keener to get going because there’s going to be some incredible games to come.”

Rocks delay

Glasgow Rocks face a lengthy stint of away games to start the new season after being told their Emirates Arena home is out of bounds.

And with a different rules in place for the opening of indoor sport in Scotland, Rocks owner Duncan Smillie has revealed that it could be early November before the league’s only Scottish franchise can open its doors.

“I am concerned about how we start because the Emirates isn’t due to open until mid-October and we are still having discussions over whether we can even access it to begin pre-season practice when the players arrive in five weeks time,” he said.

“We also need to assess the viability. We’ve always said as a league that it’s not viable to play behind closed doors. If we are allowed a one metre social distancing, we could get to around 50 per cent capacity in our smaller venue. We’ve been told it’s not commercially or logistically viable for us to use the 5,000-seater arena at the Emirates but we are hoping we can get enough in by the time of our first game.”

Do you like our work?

We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.

We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.

We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.

If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.

We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.

Support Hoopsfix