A new wave of sponsors aims to push basketball into the U.K.’s sporting mainstream and is creating "an attractive opportunity for businesses to harness the engaging power of the second most popular team sport among 14 to 16-year-olds and connect with the employees and customers of tomorrow,"
according to Cave & Miller of the London TELEGRAPH. In the U.S., total sponsorship of the 30 NBA franchises was $739M in '14-15. The figures in Britain "are not disclosed but will be a tiny percentage of that sum." The fan base in the U.K. "is much smaller" but with basketball played by nearly 218,000 people every week, "the potential for sponsors is clear."
Current sponsors include Italian sports clothes brand Erreà, which supplies kits for Great Britain’s senior and U20 teams, "the ball manufacturer Molten and sports science products firm Fit4Sport." Last month, sportswear brand Kappa, which is already a partner of the Argentina basketball team, "announced a three-year deal to become the official apparel sponsor to Britain’s men’s and women’s professional basketball leagues and Britain’s national teams."
Kappa UK Managing Dir Mark Ward said, "We have been operating in our new U.K. office since 2014 and are keen to increase our market penetration in all team sports, such as football, rugby and other major sports."
Changes "could also be in store for the sport’s structure and profile" in the U.K. The '15-16 NBA season "is enjoying a much higher profile" in the U.K. and Ireland, "with up to seven matches being broadcast live on BT Sport each week." That participatory power "remains the promise within British basketball." It "is not an investment opportunity for the faint-hearted," but businesses with the right strategies and passion should be able to "net dividends." Fan and brand engagement specialist Alter CEO Richard Moore said, "Basketball should be an amazing sport in the U.K. But to succeed it needs to be given a true personality and strength of character that tells kids where it sits in their lives. It needs deep-rooted DNA. It needs belief" (TELEGRAPH, 2/2).
