Latest news with #GBBL
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Super League Basketball to sue governing body
Super League Basketball (SLB) says it has begun legal action against the British Basketball Federation (BBF), accusing the governing body of abusing its position and breaching UK competition law. The SLB says it is being undermined by the BBF's decision to refuse to issue governing body endorsements (GBEs) - a requirement for any club wanting to sign an overseas player requiring a visa - unless it accepts a one-year deal to keep SLB says that decision is designed to put its clubs at a "competitive disadvantage to any rival league favoured by BBF" and could be in breach of the UK Government's code of practice for sports governing organisations had been in dispute over the BBF's decision to terminate an interim deal with the SLB and instead agree a 15-year deal with GBB League Ltd (GBBL) to run the men's professional league from the 2026-27 says the BBF has since acknowledged that it does not need a licence to operate and just needs to be recognised as a added that it has no issue with another league being given a UK licence, but wants to operate "free from unlawful harm".SLB was awarded an interim three-year licence last July to replace the British Basketball League, which collapsed amid financial in April the BBF agreed the deal with GBBL, saying that because SLB had elected not to bid for a long-term licence it activated a clause to terminate the interim agreement at the end of the 2024-25 disputed that view, saying it had withdrawn from the tender process after "concerns were raised over the legality of the BBF's actions" and that its nine clubs would refuse to Sport has contacted the BBF for comment.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sir Keith Mills backs rival British basketball league GBBL
The proposed operator of a controversial new British basketball league, GBBL, has announced heavyweight backing from Sir Keith Mills and hopes to establish teams in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Edinburgh. Mills, a key figure in securing and running the London 2012 Olympics, and US fund WestRiver Group have been named partners of GBBL, which was last month awarded a 15-year license to operate a league by the British Basketball Federation from 2026. It is not clear, however, whether WestRiver Group, whose portfolio includes DocuSign and football experience Toca Social, has invested in GBBL, which is fronted by American Marshall Glickman and has faced questions about its funding. Mills, 75, is advising WRG. But GBBL says it is in discussions with 'very high-quality investors' who include 'athletes, sports team owners and international family offices'. The project still faces significant obstacles, with clubs in the existing top flight – Super League Basketball – united in their opposition to playing in a competition that they do not own and at war with the BBF over what they claim was an illegal tender process. GBBL insists the door remains open for SLB clubs to join its competition, but has also declared its intention to invite applications from 10 teams to be based in locations including London, Birmingham, Yorkshire, Liverpool, Hampshire, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Coventry. 'We are thrilled that our friends at WRG and Sir Keith Mills are standing behind our long-term strategy to uplift the popularity of basketball in Great Britain,' said Glickman, a former president of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. 'We will set forth a broad range of criteria [for teams]. Most important, we want owners that are fully aligned with our strategy to grow the game from the grassroots to the elite level, and to provide fans with an incredible and affordable experience.' Glickman also hinted that SLB clubs would be better placed to play in a putative NBA Europe if competing in the BBL-sanctioned league. 'We anticipate that the clubs playing in pan-European leagues will also play in the GB domestic league,' a spokesperson said. London Lions CEO Lenz Balan told City AM this month that the clubs remained opposed to any outside operator of a league. 'In the end, a league is nothing but its clubs,' he said. 'And my personal perspective is that every professional league in the world is owned and operated by its clubs. My position on outside investment in the league is that that determination should be made by the clubs.'
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Deal to run GB men's league a 'defining moment'
The British Basketball Federation says it has agreed a 15-year deal with a group to run the men's professional league from the start of the 2026-27 described the agreement with GBB League Ltd (GBBL) as a "defining moment" for the sport, and said the new body would provide £15m funding in the first two the current operator Super League Basketball (SLB) said the new competition will have "no clubs, fans, arenas or expertise".It said the tender process run by the governing body was "illegal and unjust", and that the SLB is "united" with the nine clubs to continue running the game. The SLB said "it does not legally require the BBF licence to continue to operate the professional basketball league in Britain".SLB was awarded an interim three-year licence last July to replace the British Basketball League, which collapsed amid financial January the SLB said it was prepared to break away from the BBF after claiming it had been shut out from discussions over the future of the men's said it had withdrawn from the tender process after "concerns were raised over the legality of the BBF's actions".The BBF told BBC Sport it disputed those claims, pointing to a letter addressed to the SLB in December explaining that interested parties would be "welcome to put forward any variations to the key terms that align with their vision".It said the SLB chose not to enter the tender process "despite the BBF's encouragement", and that decision meant it "would not be awarded a long-term licence".The BBF said the SLB had elected not to bid for a long-term licence, so it activated a clause to terminate the interim agreement at the end of the 2025-26 licence also allows for alignment with international competitions, including proposals by the NBA and world governing body Fiba to launch a new European BBF said it will "seek to engage" with Premier Basketball "as well as conducting a process to evaluate opportunities in population centres currently without a presence at the highest level such as Liverpool, Leeds, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Birmingham".BBF chair Chris Grant said: "We're delighted to welcome GBBL to the British Basketball family."The award of this licence not only heralds the biggest ever level of financial investment into the league. It also brings the knowhow, connections and vision to excite those who already love the game and to attract new fans and participants."To have booming professional leagues which enable our top players to compete in front of British fans, week in and week out, is just what we need in order to fulfil British basketball's huge potential."GBBL managing director and CEO Marshall Glickman said: "We are fully committed to uplifting the popularity of basketball in Great Britain."We are especially focused on making our league attractive to homegrown players, both in terms of economics and development. We want to see our players lead the GB national team to the 2028 LA Olympics."
