Manchester Met Mystics women’s basketball team is to refranchise and join with Manchester Giants Basketball Club.
Mystics have played nine seasons in the Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL), memorably lifting the WBBL Cup in 2017. During that time they have produced some of the finest players to grace the sport, including GB internationals Dominique Allen and Lauren Thomas-Johnson. Georgia Anderson also broke several league records during her career at the Mystics.
The re-franchise marks the start of a new journey for Women’s basketball in Manchester with the uniting of both a men’s and women’s team under the Giants’ banner bringing a stronger force to the sport in the city.
The two teams will share resource, branding, facilities, as well as marketing and commercial opportunities, helping to strengthen operations in the women’s set up, whilst also reaffirming the Giants’ commitment to bringing the highest level of basketball to the city of Manchester.
The Women’s side will continue to be supported by Manchester Metropolitan University, who despite stepping back as owners of the franchise, will continue as a partner for the team moving forward.
Manchester Giants remain one of British basketball’s most historic and reputable clubs, and the move to bring both Men’s and Women’s Teams under one franchise will strengthen their ambitions to grow on and off the court. Both teams will continue to be based out of the National Basketball Centre ahead of the 2023-24 season.
The Giants Women’s Team will continue under the leadership of head coach Marg Jones, with the support of Dominique Allen will oversee the entire franchise, continuing in her role as operations manager.
Head coach Jones said: “We are extremely excited to open a new chapter for basketball in Manchester as we merge and re-franchise under the Manchester Giants umbrella. This move will allow us to continue to develop and grow our community-based support as the interest around women’s basketball is at an all-time high. Having a professional like Dominque Allen supporting the Women’s Team in an operations role is such an incredible asset for our program.
She continued: “The ongoing support and collaboration with Manchester Met is integral to the success of the Giants team. The relationship between our university woman’s program and the WBBL franchise will be paramount in our pathway to success. The Mystics have produced some of the finest players the league has ever seen, and with MMU’s continued support of the newly named Manchester Giants, we are excited to see the calibre of talent wearing our logo this season.”
