Got a question about the Super League Basketball and British basketball as a whole? The most frequently asked questions are answered here, so chances are you can find what your looking for in this section.
Below is list of questions – from who and what the League is to issues of rules and how to become a player. However, if you still can’t find the answer to your question please feel free to email us at mail@superleaguebasketball.co.uk.
WHAT IS THE SLB?
The men’s & women’s premier professional league in the UK, Super League Basketball is the newest name on the British sporting scene and ready to make a big impact from the outset.
Featuring 10 men’s franchises, and 10 Women’s, in major towns and cities across the nation, SLB clubs are built on the foundations of strong community programmes.
The league is a key partner in the development of basketball in Britain, and considers the Home Country Associations in England, Wales and Scotland to be fellow prominent partners in the development of basketball in Britain.
The league is owned and run by its member clubs with the board including one director from each club, and is administered by a central office. Franchise development is at the fore of the league’s strategic intentions, in order to bring top-level basketball to as many people as possible.
WHO ARE THE SLB MEMBER CLUBS?
The clubs are spread far and wide throughout the UK. Each club – or franchise as it is known – operates in it’s own distinct area and there is only one club per franchise area. This allows each club to maximise it’s commercial and media value within their local community.
The current Men’s franchises are as follows:
B. Braun Sheffield Sharks
Bristol Flyers
Caledonia Gladiators
Cheshire Phoenix
Leicester Riders
Liverpool Basketball
London Lions
Manchester Basketball
Newcastle Eagles
Surrey 89ers
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SLB & BE?
The SLB is the premier women’s & men’s league in the UK and runs separately to the BE – Basketball England – which is the next tier down. BE consists of several divisions of both men’s and women’s basketball. BE – both men’s and women’s divisions – come under the umbrella of the national federation Basketball England who also have responsibility for for coaching and officiating development and for general club development.
WHY IS THERE NO PROMOTION/RELEGATION?
Firstly, the League is based on franchises, similar to the US system in sport. There is no promotion and relegation between the SLB and BE and BE clubs cannot join the league based on their performances in official competition alone. However, BE clubs and any other organisations can apply for a franchise from the league.
The franchise system is used because of the significant difference in cost/administration of running a team in the the league to running any other team in the UK. The franchise system tries to provide financial security and protect investment into clubs by removing the threat that comes with relegation/competition within the franchise area.
The sports franchise concept is becoming more understood in the UK and there are those who feel that it could well be the way forward for sports such as football, particularly in the Premiership in the future.
Meanwhile, the Women’s BE consists of several divisions (BE Division One being the top level), which works on the principle of having promotion and relegation between the divisions.
HOW DO CLUBS JOIN THE SLB?
By applying to the Franchise Committee (franchises@superleaguebasketball.co.uk) with a detailed business plan. For any application to be successful, venue details, proof of an acceptable level of financial backing, plus a sound business plan would be required, thus showing that the franchise was likely to be a sustainable enterprise. The business plan must cover a certain period of time, thus demonstrating the long term potential of the business.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT COMPETITIONS PLAYED?
The primary competition is the Championship, in which all teams play each other four times over the course of the season. Two points are awarded for a win, but no points for a defeat and all games must result in an outright winner (ie. five-minute periods of overtime are played if the game is tied until a winner is found).
At the end of the Championship season the top six teams in the Championship progress to the post-season to play in the Play-offs. Unlike other European leagues and the NBA, the Championship is considered the primary competition and its winner the number one team that season. This is because of the length of the regular season and the number of games played during it, compared with the restricted number of playoff games in the league.
The other competition is the SLB Cup, which is a knockout tournament featuring all ten SLB clubs.
For more information regarding Competitions please visit the Competitions section of the Website.
HOW CAN I GET TO A GAME?
For regular season Championship games, as well as the early rounds of the Trophy, Cup, and Play-offs, tickets are available from the home club. Details of travelling directions, ticket prices and how to contact the club are available on this website.
For centrally staged events (ie. major finals), tickets are available from the venue’s box office.
HOW CAN I GET TO PLAY FOR A CLUB?
Players are usually recruited by the Head Coach from each team either via external recruitment or via promotion from the club’s development programme. The league does not hold league-wide try-outs so, in the first instance, players are invited to submit their CV/Resume to clubs directly.
All non-EU (European Union) players without the right to work in the UK need a work permit and will have to meet the criteria set down by the UK Government. If you do require a work permit to work in the UK and don’t meet the criteria set down to receive a Governing Body Endorsement then unfortunately you won’t be able to play in the league – regardless of how good you are.
If you meet the criteria, should a club wish to sign you then the club will handle the entire work permit application process (including Governing Body Endorsement) prior to your arrival in the UK i.e. you do not need to make any application yourself prior to finding a club.
Reasons for Non EU players not requiring a work permit can include, marriage to a British or EEA citizen, Commonwealth citizenship with British heritage (ie British grandparent) etc. Please establish whether you are entitled to this status prior to submitting your CV.
I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY FOR A SLB TEAM BUT WANT TO PLAY AT A LOWER LEVEL. WHERE CAN I FIND DETAILS OF MY NEAREST TEAM?
All Clubs run lower level teams so contact your local club for more information. Alternatively you can find your local registered club via the following links:
Basketball England: https://www.basketballengland.co.uk/court-finder/
Basketball Scotland: https://www.basketball.scot/en/content/pages/39908