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Why pro basketball has flourished in Langley
Forward Mitchell Creek lobs a pass to 6'10' Tyrese Samuel for a thunderous alley-oop dunk. The Langley Events Centre crowd of more than 5,000 erupts as flames shoot out of the top of the backboard. It's one of several highlight-reel plays in the first half alone during the Vancouver Bandits' home playoff matchup Saturday against the Calgary Surge.
Saturday's Western Conference semi-final marked the final home game of the season for the Bandits, who've built a loyal following in Langley and the surrounding community.
'We're close to 5,000 [fans per game],' said Bandits president Dylan Kular, who's been with the team since day one.
The Bandits (formerly the Fraser Valley Bandits) were one of the original six teams to launch in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) in 2018. The organization played its first few years in Abbotsford, where Kular says a typical game drew around 1,500 fans.
The team moved to the Langley Events Centre in 2022, an intimate venue with a capacity of nearly 5,300, a video scoreboard, and as mentioned, flames shooting out of the backboard following every Bandits basket.
'It's just about growing a bit more every year and continuing to do the right things. We want to continue being in the community, listening to our community and being a place where everyone feels welcoming and inclusive,' said Kular, who also throws out team swag to fans during breaks in the game.
Kular says 2025 has been the team's most financially successful season to date, setting a new benchmark in season ticket sales with more than 1,200.
'I know that for revenues and ticket sales, yeah, it's been our best season,' said Kular.'It's not just basketball, but it's also an accessible night out. For families, our tickets, they start at $15. For regular season, you can get a hotdog, a drink, a ticket and chips at a Bandits game for a family of four for $80.'
Creative Marketing
Kular attributes part of this summer's success to partnering with popular YouTuber Tristan Jass. Jass, who has a massive online following, joined the team for training camp and played in a few exhibition games. He documented the experience and introduced the Bandits — and the CEBL — to a wider audience. NBA superstar Kyrie Irving even gave the team a shoutout.
'(Jass) really helped open the Bandits to a lot of people,' said Kular.
Still, Kular says the challenge continues to be creating more awareness around the growing league.
'If we surveyed 100 people — and I don't know how exact this number would be — but maybe 70 wouldn't know who we are. So there's a lot of potential still and we're so excited about that,' said Kular.
This year also marked the best regular season in Bandits history. The team finished 19-5, leading the CEBL standings.
The CEBL, which runs from late spring through August, features many players from the pro circuit overseas who use the league to stay competitive and develop their game ahead of the fall and winter seasons. Similar to the CFL, the league also has a Canadian mandate: two of the five players on the court at any given time must be Canadian.
The Bandits ended up falling to the Surge in a heartbreaking 105-103 loss, but the team — and the league — appears to have a bright future ahead.
