Liverpool Basketball to join SLB as top-flight hoops returns to the city

By Guest Writer on August 5, 2026

Liverpool Basketball will join Super League Basketball next season, bringing top-flight men’s professional basketball back to the city for the first time in more than a decade.

The new franchise will compete in the 2026-27 season and call M&S Bank Arena home, with SLB confirming the 11,000-capacity waterfront venue as the club’s base.

The move was already on the radar last year. The Yorkshire Post reported in August and September 2025 that Liverpool was a key target for SLB as it looked to add a 10th team, with an American investor behind the project.

That investor has now been confirmed as Jason Dolan, founder of Kings Dock Sports Group Ltd, who said Liverpool was the clear choice because of the city’s sporting culture and arena infrastructure.

“We are building for decades – not seasons,” Dolan said. “That’s why Liverpool was the clear choice. Its global sporting reputation, world-class arena, vibrant city centre and passionate supporters have created a culture shaped by clubs that represent more than competition – they represent their communities, their supporters and their city.”

For Liverpool Experience Campus, home to M&S Bank Arena, the franchise is being pitched as a year-round addition to the waterfront.

“Becoming the home of this new team reflects our ambition to make elite sport more accessible, inspire the next generation and create year-round energy on the waterfront,” chief executive Faye Dyer said.

The launch also raises an immediate naming question, with Liverpool Basketball sharing a name with Liverpool Basketball Club, the established NBL programme in the city. SLB has not suggested that is an issue, but it is something to watch as the new franchise builds its identity.

Over the coming weeks, the club is due to unveil its branding – though the logo was included in the SLB press release, as seen above – leadership appointments, coaching staff and inaugural roster, with season ticket registrations and founding partnership announcements to follow later this summer.

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