English Basketball League
Encyclopedia
The English Basketball League (EBL) is a semi-professional
and amateur
basketball
league in England
. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League
.
The EBL was established in 2003 by England Basketball
to replace the former National Basketball League
, and currently operates several men's and women's leagues in the British basketball pyramid, which is headed by Division 1. This is effectively seen as the second tier of men's basketball in the United Kingdom
, along with the less celebrated Scottish Basketball League.
There are numerous leagues underneath the Division 1 men's and women's leagues. With the lower leagues operating on a regionalised basis.
Beneath the men's and women's national leagues is a junior structure for both male and female with leagues for under 18s, 16s, 15s, 14s, 13s. The England Basketball website contains all the relevant information
There is no promotion and relegation
between the EBL and the British Basketball League
, which operates a franchise system. Despite this, many teams have in recent years made the step from EBL to the BBL looking for greater competition and more exposure.
English Basketball League - The men's competition is currently divided into four divisions, with Division 3 having two regional sections and Division 4 further divided into three regions. The women's competition is divided into two divisions, with Division 2 further divided into three regions.
EBL Trophy - played for by all men's Division 1 teams. The teams play a round-robin competition followed by knock-out rounds. Reading Rockets won the 2010/11 tournament, against Leeds Carnegie at the Amaechi Basketball Centre in Manchester.
Patrons Cup - played for by all men's Division 2 teams on a similar basis to the EBL Trophy.
National Cup - Open to all EBL teams and played on a straight knockout format at club venues with the final being held at a neutral venue. The 2010/11 finals were staged at Ponds Forge
, Sheffield and saw Brixton Topcats beat Bristol Flyers.
National Shield - Open to all Men's teams in EBL Divisions 3 & 4 and run on a straight knock-out format with the final held at a neutral venue. Birmingham Mets won the 2010/11 tournament, 86-83, against Portsmouth City Smugglers at the Amaechi Basketball Centre in Manchester.
The Playoffs - The top eight teams in each division compete for the season's final showdown and silverware. The top four teams have home advantage against the lower placed sides in the quarter-final (1st v 8th, 2nd v 7th, 3rd v 6th & 4th v 5th). In men's and women's Division 1, the semi-finals and final are held at a neutral venue in a Final Fours weekend. The lower divisions have only the final at a neutral venue.
National Founders Cup - A round-robin competition organised on a national basis specifically for non-EBL clubs, i.e. amateur clubs who have not entered the national leagues.
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
and amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
league in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League
British Basketball League
The British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is the premier men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the league championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy....
.
The EBL was established in 2003 by England Basketball
England Basketball
England Basketball is the governing body of the sport of basketball for England. The organisation operates the English Basketball League for both Men and Women, as well as the England national team...
to replace the former National Basketball League
National Basketball League (United Kingdom)
The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, is a British basketball league. The league started in 1972 and continued through to 2003 renamed the English Basketball League.-1972-1993:...
, and currently operates several men's and women's leagues in the British basketball pyramid, which is headed by Division 1. This is effectively seen as the second tier of men's basketball in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, along with the less celebrated Scottish Basketball League.
There are numerous leagues underneath the Division 1 men's and women's leagues. With the lower leagues operating on a regionalised basis.
Beneath the men's and women's national leagues is a junior structure for both male and female with leagues for under 18s, 16s, 15s, 14s, 13s. The England Basketball website contains all the relevant information
There is no promotion and relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
between the EBL and the British Basketball League
British Basketball League
The British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is the premier men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the league championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy....
, which operates a franchise system. Despite this, many teams have in recent years made the step from EBL to the BBL looking for greater competition and more exposure.
Senior Competitions
:)--94.14.223.168 (talk) 12:46, 13 November 2011 (UTC)English Basketball League - The men's competition is currently divided into four divisions, with Division 3 having two regional sections and Division 4 further divided into three regions. The women's competition is divided into two divisions, with Division 2 further divided into three regions.
EBL Trophy - played for by all men's Division 1 teams. The teams play a round-robin competition followed by knock-out rounds. Reading Rockets won the 2010/11 tournament, against Leeds Carnegie at the Amaechi Basketball Centre in Manchester.
Patrons Cup - played for by all men's Division 2 teams on a similar basis to the EBL Trophy.
National Cup - Open to all EBL teams and played on a straight knockout format at club venues with the final being held at a neutral venue. The 2010/11 finals were staged at Ponds Forge
Ponds Forge
Ponds Forge International Sports Centre is a leisure complex in the City of Sheffield, England that contains an Olympic-sized swimming pool with seating for 2,600 spectators, family and kids pools, water slides and other sports facilities.-Brief history:...
, Sheffield and saw Brixton Topcats beat Bristol Flyers.
National Shield - Open to all Men's teams in EBL Divisions 3 & 4 and run on a straight knock-out format with the final held at a neutral venue. Birmingham Mets won the 2010/11 tournament, 86-83, against Portsmouth City Smugglers at the Amaechi Basketball Centre in Manchester.
The Playoffs - The top eight teams in each division compete for the season's final showdown and silverware. The top four teams have home advantage against the lower placed sides in the quarter-final (1st v 8th, 2nd v 7th, 3rd v 6th & 4th v 5th). In men's and women's Division 1, the semi-finals and final are held at a neutral venue in a Final Fours weekend. The lower divisions have only the final at a neutral venue.
National Founders Cup - A round-robin competition organised on a national basis specifically for non-EBL clubs, i.e. amateur clubs who have not entered the national leagues.
Men's Division 1
Men's Division 1 team line-up for the 2011-12 season.- Bradford Dragons (Promoted from Division 2)
- Bristol Academy Flyers (2010-11 League Champions)
- Brixton TopcatsBrixton TopCatsBrixton TopCats is a British basketball team based in the Brixton area of London. Established in 1985, the first team currently compete in the English Basketball League Division 1, but the club is particularly notable for its highly-rated development programme, which has produced the likes of Luol...
(2010-11 Cup Champions) - Derby TrailblazersDerby TrailblazersDerby Trailblazers is a semi-professional basketball team from Derby, who compete in the English Basketball League Men's Division 1. The team was founded in 2002 from the feeder club of Derby Storm, the professional outfit competing in the British Basketball League, who went out of business during...
- Leeds CarnegieLeeds Carnegie (basketball)Leeds Carnegie is a basketball team based in Leeds, England. They currently compete in the English Basketball League Division 1, the second-tier competition, after gaining promotion from Division 2 in 2010. Their primary colours are green and black. They play their home games at the Leeds...
- Leicester WarriorsLeicester WarriorsThe Leicester Warriors is an English basketball team from Leicester, Leicestershire, competing in the English Basketball League, Division 2.-Overview:...
- London CapitalLondon CapitalLondon Capital, officially called PAWS London Capital in reference to their partnership with PAWS Foundation, is a basketball team based in London, England...
- London LeopardsLondon LeopardsThe BA London Leopards is a British basketball team who competes in the English Basketball League Division 1. The team was established in 1997 as Ware Fire, but following the demise and eventual closure of the former British Basketball League franchise Essex Leopards in 2003, a supporters group...
- Medway Park Crusaders (Promoted from Division 2)
- Reading RocketsReading RocketsReading Rockets is a basketball club based in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Currently Reading Rockets play in the English Basketball League Division 1. Reading Rockets work with around 1,000 young players every week in Berkshire...
(2010-2011 Trophy Champions & Playoff Champions) - Tees Valley MohawksTees Valley MohawksThe Tees Valley Mokawks is an English basketball team from Middlesbrough, Teesside competing in the English Basketball League, Division 1. They play their home games at the University of Teesside....
(Promoted from Division 2) - Westminster Warriors (Promoted from Division 2)
- Worthing ThunderWorthing ThunderWorthing Thunder is a basketball team from Worthing, England. Founded in 1999, until recently they competed in the top-tier British Basketball League, having previously having dominated the lower leagues in recent years, winning back-to-back English Basketball League Division One titles in 2006 and...
(Resigned from the BBL)
Men's Division 2
Men's Division 2 team line-up for the 2011-12 season.- Birmingham AthleticsBirmingham AthleticsBirmingham Athletics, formerly called and often still referred to as Aston Athletics, is a basketball team based in Birmingham, England.The club was founded in 2004, as Aston Athletics, to play at the Aston Events Centre, which had just been vacated by Birmingham Bullets...
- Birmingham Mets (Promoted from Division 3)
- Derbyshire Arrows (Formerly Sheffield Arrows)
- Eastside Eagles
- Glamorgan Gladiators (Promoted from Division 3)
- Hemel Storm
- London UnitedLondon UnitedLondon United is basketball team from London, England, currently competing in English Basketball League Division 2. In 2006 they were elected into the professional British Basketball League to replace the London Towers as the sole representatives for the capital city...
- London Westside (Promoted from Division 3)
- Mansfield GiantsMansfield GiantsMansfield Giants are a basketball club from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The club was originally formed in 1990. Home games take place at the new Oak Tree Leisure Centre. The club currently plays in English Basketball League Division 2....
- Team NorthumbriaTeam NorthumbriaTeam Northumbria are a netball team based in the north-east of England. They are one of eight teams in The Super League, the elite netball competition in England and Wales...
- Team Solent (Promoted from Division 3)
Women's Division 1
Women's Division 1 team line-up for the 2011-12 season.- Barking Abbey Leopards
- City of Sheffield Hatters (2010-11 League, Cup & Playoff Champions)
- Durham WildcatsDurham WildcatsDurham Wildcats is a basketball team based in County Durham, England. Established in 2005, the club has enjoyed a rapid rise through the English Basketball League system with three promotions in the past three seasons...
- Leeds Carnegie
- Nottingham Wildcats
- Sevenoaks Suns
- Team NorthumbriaTeam NorthumbriaTeam Northumbria are a netball team based in the north-east of England. They are one of eight teams in The Super League, the elite netball competition in England and Wales...
- UWIC Archers
Other club's websites
- Bristol Academy Flyers
- Bristol Storm Basketball Club
- Derby Trailblazers
- Kent Crusaders
- Kingston Wildcats
- Leicester WarriorsLeicester WarriorsThe Leicester Warriors is an English basketball team from Leicester, Leicestershire, competing in the English Basketball League, Division 2.-Overview:...
- Sheffield Saints
- Team Northumbria
- Taunton Tigers
See also
- Basketball in EnglandBasketball in EnglandBasketball, although invented in the United States, has a very long history in England, having been introduced there by the YMCA almost immediately after it was created. World War I and II further spurred its popularity. The four highest profile team sports in the United Kingdom are football,...
- England national basketball teamEngland national basketball teamThe England national basketball team represents England in international basketball competitions. The team is organized by England Basketball, the sport's governing body in England...
- Great Britain national basketball teamGreat Britain national basketball teamThe Great Britain men's national basketball team, known as Great Britain or GB, is the national team for Great Britain in basketball...