Why we launched the BBFA
Setting the tone, sharing our story.
Thank you for making it this far on to the BBFA website. If you’re looking for a place to learn about who we are, why we’re here, and what we’re about, this is it.
What’s happening in British basketball?
Professional basketball is in the middle of a civil war. On one side, the British Basketball Federation (BBF). The National Governing Body (NGB) responsible for basketball in Britain since 2016. On the other, Super League Basketball Ltd (SLB). The organisation started by the nine remaining professional teams left after the British Basketball League collapsed. SLB Ltd started a new league in the summer of 2024 after being granted an interim licence by the BBF to operate the men’s professional league.
After the BBF oversaw a process to find a new pro league operator that only attracted a single application (a process that SLB Ltd took issue with) the BBF awarded a 15 year licence to that bidder, GBB League Ltd (GBBL). A group headed up by former Acting CEO of Euroleague Basketball, Marshall Glickman. Set to start in the 2026/27 season.
This has led to SLB saying they plan to continue operating without a league licence in 2025/26.
In all this time, the fans of British basketball — the ones that put their hands in their pockets every week to support their clubs — have been overlooked, ignored, and forgotten about by the BBF, leading to confusion as to what’s going to happen and frustration that such a heavy-handed approach has been brought forward.
Why the BBFA exists
We don’t want to tear things down, we want to raise British basketball to the level we believe it can and should be. We want to build something better.
We are fans that love this sport. Who invest in it. Not only financially, but emotionally. Many clubs couldn’t operate without volunteer support by the very fans that have been frozen out of these discussions.
We’re here to fix that by offering a united banner for fans to come together under, to campaign for change and to make sure we don’t go unheard any more. By campaigning around specific issues as one, we will demand to be heard.
What we stand for
There’s a lot to fix in British basketball. However the following are things we believe will continue, unchanged, to matter to the fans:
Transparency in decision-making
Accountability from those in power
Stability for clubs, players, and fans
Representation for the fan base
Growth of the whole game — not just one league or group
What we want to see
A professional league that includes the existing clubs, plus expansion into new areas of the country, to make the league bigger and better
A national federation that works with clubs, not against them
A fan movement that has is recognised by the national governing bodies and league operators that can engage in meaningful, positive dialogue
Good to see this take shape, I read the article by John Amaechi which was absolutely ridiculous in what he put when he attacked the SLB, so much so I messaged John but had no response as of yet.
There has to be a voice, because quite frankly the bbf is running a muck with British basketball, they are a stubborn bunch that believe in a olympic program and anything that supports the gold medal. I'm glad that you unionised the fans to have a strong singular message.