UK Basketball Watcher

Watcher of Pro Basketball in the UK

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@BritChampBball Plymouth
Bristol Flyers
Bristol Hurricanes
Cardiff
Gloucester

Falkirk
Newcastle
Yorkshire (Halifax)
Derby
Nottingham

Loughborough
Birmingham
MK
Essex (Colchester)
Oaklands (St Alban's)

Hemel
London Cavs (Uxbridge)
Reading
Portsmouth
Worthing

Some rough mileage up north

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@hoopsandhockey Yeah the arena is only 1.5 miles from Aberdeen Airport or Dyce Railway Station.

They had the Globetrotters there a few years ago and I went. The sightlines were great. Here's a seating plan.
https://t.co/ZLL1vPaEwl

The Globetrotters have also been to Connexin Live in Hull too.

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@willsweeney15 @hoopsandhockey Particularly when there's a lot more families out there than there are blokes of the right age & predisposition to then try and convince to turn up and turn into 'ultras'

Marketing 1-0-1: market to the bigger demographic. Wannabe ultras already have non league as a winter sport

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@willsweeney15 @hoopsandhockey Presently most of the crowd at most SLB venues is families. Why promote sweary, noisy, aggressive men - which is what most ultras are in most sports - if all that does is drive away the demographic who make up much of the present crowd?
It's cutting off our nose to spite our face

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@willsweeney15 @hoopsandhockey Yeah but it's successful at attracting families rather than cricket fans. And ice hockey and netball have been successful at attracting families too

If you want more people to attract, there's many more families than there are wannabe ultras, who already have non league football

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@willsweeney15 @hoopsandhockey "Family friendly shite" has got netball, The Hundred and ice hockey further than they used to be.

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@JackGrayson84 @hoopsandhockey Great post. You said what I was trying to but simpler.
It's sad but true: if you lower the standard of player (more developmental/Brit focused/much fewer imports) 80% of the fans in attendance now at SLB games wouldn't notice as they're their for fan experience not player quality

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@hoopsandhockey I'd like to see significant reduction in cost burden for owners: don't give every game away for free on a stream as it devalues admission price; don't spend on frivolous European competition; & cap the number of imports at 2 so more Brits get more time.
Aim: BCB but better venues

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@DaveAnt122141 @Prophesy_Scout @ballineurope It's 100 short, according to Wiki. Even if that wrong, it's not just capacity that's a problem.
https://t.co/vr2PgAhn5H

[Prophe(s)y. | @Prophesy_Scout]

@UKBballWatcher @Dan_Spry Also has to comply with arena regulations (i.e. non-drop down baskets, proper walk way to the court etc.). EPSV would never comply unfortunately.

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@saintpat1962 @Prophesy_Scout @ballineurope Yes they're the 2025/26 rules.

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@ballineurope @Prophesy_Scout Was the last Irish team to enter a FIBA club competition the Irish Superleague representative side, Hibernia?
https://t.co/lr46VAUsOp

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@Dan_Spry @Prophesy_Scout There aren't as stringent venue requirements in the ENBL.

If Manchester go up to BCL (which normally has a drop down route into FEC) and if the ENBL are happy to offer Britain 3 spots again, Cheshire could easily join Bristol (and Newcastle again?) in that competition.

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@Prophesy_Scout @Dan_Spry FIBA Level 1 approved backstop units (Rule 6B) can include drop down units (like Sheffield, dunno about theirs specifically though) but I suspect they don't include swing out units (like EPSV).

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@Prophesy_Scout @ballineurope Caledonia, Newcastle & Surrey are barred from entering FEC as they finished in the bottom third of SLB. (Rule 5.2). Bristol & Cheshire also barred: don't have 1500 seats. (Rule 6B)
https://t.co/PgFoODee7W
London presumably be EuroCup again, so it's just Leicester/MCR/Sheffield.

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@Dan_Spry @Prophesy_Scout "The playing hall must have a seating capacity of a minimum of 1500 seats." (Article 6B)
https://t.co/PgFoODee7W
Wikipedia claims it has a capacity of 1400.
https://t.co/eyCCuSIXbR

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@Prophesy_Scout Of course the 2nd leg wasn't held on an even footing. One team started with a 19-0 lead on the scoreboard. In the other game in the SLB-M today, one team started with a 28-0 lead.
Thats the point of aggregate basketball: it allows a team leading by enough to not play at full gas.

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@Prophesy_Scout But in the second leg, one team had earned the right to not play with full focus/play in second gear - whatever your choice of metaphor is.

That is the point of aggregate basketball - the second leg may not be held on an equal footing for both teams.

[UK Basketball Watcher @UKBballWatcher]

@SprLeagueBballM @MoltenSports @Cal_Gladiators What is the point of making this post if you don't also link to the article? Just write a second tweet with a link to the page, it's not difficult!

If you don't link to it most folk won't be bothered to read it via the bio...make it easy and publish the link in a second tweet!!!