Brand new franchise Liverpool Basketball will join Super League Basketball next season, bringing top-flight men’s professional basketball back to the city for the first time in more than a decade.
The new franchise will compete in the 2026-27 season and call the 11,000 capacity M&S Bank Arena home – formerly home to the Mersey Tigers, who folded following financial difficulties in 2013 with the unwelcome record of being the only then-BBL club to complete an entire season without a single victory.
The move was already being touted last year, with local news reporting that Liverpool was a key target for SLB as it looked to add a 10th team, with an American investor reportedly behind the project.
READ MORE: Local solicitors renews sponsorship deal with Stockport County FC
That investor has now been confirmed as Jason Dolan, founder of Kings Dock Sports Group Ltd, who said Liverpool was the clear choice because of the city’s sporting culture and arena infrastructure.
“We are building for decades – not seasons,” Dolan said. “That’s why Liverpool was the clear choice. Its global sporting reputation, world-class arena, vibrant city centre and passionate supporters have created a culture shaped by clubs that represent more than competition – they represent their communities, their supporters and their city.”
For Liverpool Experience Campus, home to M&S Bank Arena, the franchise is being pitched as a year-round addition to the waterfront.
“Becoming the home of this new team reflects our ambition to make elite sport more accessible, inspire the next generation and create year-round energy on the waterfront,” chief executive Faye Dyer said.
The launch also raises an immediate naming question, with Liverpool Basketball sharing a name with Liverpool Basketball Club, the established NBL programme in the city. SLB has not so far suggested that is an issue, but it is could be something worth keeping an eye on as the new franchise builds its identity.
The club is due to unveil its new branding over the coming weeks, although the above logo is already present at launch, with key leadership appointments, coaching staff, an inaugural roster, season ticket registrations and founding partnership announcements due to follow over the course of the summer.
