Super League Basketball expansion: 10 things SLB must get right
Super League Basketball (SLB) in the UK has 9 teams. It would like to have more. To make that work, it’s going to involve a lot of work. Most of the necessary stuff is desperately boring to basketball fans. That doesn’t make it any more vital to success. Emmet Ryan does a deep dive.
The most recent episode of Baseline, the London Lions podcast, probably didn’t come across your radar. It’s only been viewed 526 times on YouTube at the time of writing but it provided a fascinating insight into the hopes and dreams of those behind two of Super League Basketball’s (SLB) biggest clubs.
Lenz Balan (CEO of London Lions) and Ben Pierson, his equivalent with Manchester Basketball, basically had a 49 minute business chat with host Brian Bosche. It covered a lot of areas but, most notably, the expansion of SLB. Well that’s exactly the type of thing a guy who has spent more than 20 years in both business and sports journalism just has to sink his teeth into.
I’ve set out ten areas that SLB needs to lock down hard in order for expansion to succeed at a sustainable level. As is almost tradition on this site, it’s time to make you reconsider reading this article. This will be long, so it’s best you get a coffee or some other beverage before getting started. A big thanks as well to Philip Brown for alerting me to that video, inspiring me to write this in the process.
1. Financial transparency and stability
This has to be the foundation. Super League Basketball (SLB) succeeded the British Basketball League (BBL), which wasn’t exactly short of off-court drama. Even the weeks prior to SLB’s start involved high drama around the ownership/continued existence of London Lions [https://youtu.be/Od9DyLaLkUU?si=B_iIjnseqfHyAkhF].
Any expansion plan needs to have the fundamentals of transparency and stability covered. That means uniform financial reporting standards, minimum operating budgets, and, this is a big one, proof-of-funds requirements. From the outset the bar for transparency has to be higher than the norm both in basketball on the continent and sport in the UK.
The reason for that is simple, the stronger the governance foundations the less likely an in-season collapse happens. It also helps to attract the right kind of ownership group. Smart investors look for solid governance structures. Being best in class is a must for SLB
2. Arena standards and control
Where to play is something often overlooked when someone comes in with the money to fund a team in sports. Super League Basketball (SLB), and this will be a common refrain, needs to hold itself to a higher standard. This means minimum requirements for arenas, including seating, concessions, and transport links.
Broadcast standards should also be considered here. How the product looks on screen matters a lot when trying to attract more eyeballs, footfall, and sponsorship. Lease control should also be high up the list.
One game every two weeks, or even two if there’s also a women’s team, won’t suffice. SLB needs its members to have control over the arenas they are based in to monetise the conferencing and event rental aspect as well. The goal here is stable and repeatable revenue streams that turn a cost into an asset.
3. Consistent broadcast production
The level existing fans of clubs in Super League Basketball (SLB) or nerds like me will accept isn’t what we’re looking at here. A centralised approach to production is the bare minimum to consider, so there’s uniformity across the league.
The good news is that SLB is currently very easy to watch, streaming on Dazn. The bad is that it basically generates no revenue. A higher standard of production, with the capacity for this built-in from the start, is the minimum for any expansion candidate.
This fits in room for league wide and more regionalised sponsor packages to be sold in a way that is cleaner to measure for the buyer. In short, every game should look like it belongs in the same competition and that it’s a competition advertisers want a piece of.
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4. Scheduling discipline
This one is interesting as SLB already prioritises Friday nights. There is some flexibility, which is good considering one of the expansion cities named by Pierson was Dublin. Excluding the multitude of problems that would come with getting Basketball Ireland to give this the ok, Friday is primarily a football evening in Ireland. For in-person attendance, this isn’t something they want to try and tackle.
A clear and easy to follow schedule is crucial here. There is one competition in the UK that can get away with throwing around its calendar, and nobody is challenging the EPL in this lifetime.
On a practical level it helps with the organisational aspect. You want to make going to games in all cities and towns with teams a habit for people, especially when competing for discretionary income. You want to make viewing online a habit too. Reliable game times do a lot to aid that. Expansion teams should have a research plan for their core game time ready made, with evidence to back it up, before even applying.
5. Governance and rule clarity
Given everything that happened with the British Basketball Federation, this really shouldn’t need emphasising. Right now, for investors, basketball is a confusing product. Simple is good and the best way for Super League Basketball to be simple is to go heavy on clarity.
This involves clear organisation and leadership layouts that show who holds decision-making power over what and why. Dispute resolution methods need to be firmly in place and regularly updated to get ahead of potential challenges.
The more stable and disciplined the organisation is, the less likely new members are to cause problems. If good governance is in place, those would be members that fail to live up to expectations will mostly fall short prior to approval.
6. Commercial structure
Where does the money come from? Even if the investor has Jeff Bezos level money, there needs to be a uniform approach. That means that every club should be expected to be able to turn an annual profit of some form in short order from foundation. The more sustainably designed members are from the start, the bigger the pool is for everyone.
That sustainability can lead to greater sponsorship deals, improved rights valuations, and, indeed, improved club valuations in the process. An asset that reliably delivers a return on investment is always going to attract more investors.
New members should be joining a revenue system, not merely buttressing one with their expansion fee. The goal of each expansion is to add ongoing value to the whole product, not to briefly inflate it.
7. Developing domestic talent
With enough money you can buy a roster to be competitive in anything. With smart behaviour, you shouldn’t need to worry about overpaying. That’s where requirements on all expansion clubs to engage in grassroots development is vital.
Having a minimum number of homegrown players is vital. Note that I said homegrown and not just British. Being developed locally is the crucial aspect here as the goal is to expose the best young British talent to the best talent that can be attracted to academies.
This provides a clear link to the grassroots structure of British basketball. Volume is not the sport’s problem in the UK. It is extremely popular to play. Opportunity is. Super League Basketball can be the key source of such opportunity if it ties player development requirements to expansion.
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8. Travel and logistics
Few things make professional sports run well quite like well-honed logistics. How travel is managed in the event of expansion is vital. The goal is to minimise costs while also ensuring players get adequate rest. I’d love to say that’s my ‘up the workers’ view but it’s more to ensure the standard stays adequately high for the paying public.
That’s where a centralised plan around scheduling and logistics is vital. Every addition, especially in a new city, adds to costs for all parties. Should Super League Basketball eventually reach a number like 16, or even 12, then a regionalised conference format can help somewhat.
Still, air links internally in the UK should be considered. Simply putting teams closer to each other as the crow flies isn’t the best way to manage a schedule. A wide-ranging and extremely boring but diligent approach is needed. Again, as with all of the other points, any new expansion side should come with a fully drawn out logistics plan when seeking admission.
9. Vetting the owners
Three digits are all I really need for most of you to get this: 777. The matter goes a bit beyond that. The proof-of-funds requirement listed in the first point are only the beginning. Transparency on the nature of those funds and that any and all ownership groups are above board legally/ethically speaking matters.
That means a test far more stringent than football’s fit-and-proper-person one is required. The reason is simple, for SLB expansion or indeed SLB as a whole to succeed it needs to be able to show it delivers more than is asked on that front.
The UK is a place that has plenty of investment money coming into it but more than enough opportunities to exceed supply. One bad apple can sour a lot of appealing options. Professional basketball is not a top tier sport in the public eye in the UK right now. The only way it gets there is by holding itself to the highest possible standard.
10. Get the data and stats sorted
The last one may seem like the smallest but it’s a good way for Super League Basketball to spot any potential administrative and organisational issues with expansion applicants. Again, this comes back to what they submit when seeking to join.
They need to show how they plan to integrate stats management as well as access for key partners with data. While betting and sports have a tempestuous relationship, the link for betting security firms is vital to reduce likelihood of fraud (point shaving etc). They need to show an understanding for that.
A league that wants to be professional on the floor must show administrative professionality at all levels off of it. These are the boxes that must be ticked to trust a new member with their role in the SLB brand.
Conclusion
By the way, had I been paid by SLB as a consultant for the above I’d have been justified in charging them €10,000 for the work involved. Yet here I am being charitable by giving this advice away because I care about basketball/want to advertise for future consultancy work.
All of these sounds really hard. Indeed it reads like it is asking a lot of anyone that wants to join Super League Basketball. That’s the point. SLB needs to hold a steady nerve and be the one demanding it get courted. It should expect anyone coming to the table to bring with them a plan that is essentially ready to go that day.
Too often in sport we let our belief in potential get in the way. It’s fine to dream when only a win or loss is on the line. It’s a different matter when it comes to legacy and sustainability. Learning from the mistakes of the past is only the start. Anyone serious about building a pro sports enterprise of any kind in the UK needs to build strong foundations for the future.
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