Manchester will be one of nine UK cities to host a basketball team ahead of the new Super League Basketball (SBL) competition.
Originally known as the Manchester Giants during its tenure in the British Basketball League, the SBL team will be led by new owners Sherwood Family Investment Office for both its men’s and women’s teams.
The US private equity firms Chief Executive Officer Ned Sherwood and President Ben Pierson successfully acquired the team yesterday, making it the ninth and final team to compete in the upcoming season after the Plymouth Patriots announced its withdrawal.
Led by Pierson, the new owners confirmed the reintroduction of the team’s former operations manager Dominique Allen, who will now serve as the team’s Head of Operations.
“Manchester is a world-class city for sport and culture. We aim to bring the Manchester franchise back to the level it belongs – competing for trophies for the city,” stated Pierson.
“Basketball in Manchester is an integral part of schools, youth, and culture. It is imperative that we restore stability throughout the franchise, and grow our partnerships throughout the community. We look forward to delivering on this through our actions, not just our words.”
British basketball was thrown into limbo last June after the British Basketball League had its league licence terminated by the British Basketball Federation. The status of the Manchester Giants was also in jeopardy after like many other franchises, it was owned by British Basketball League Ltd.
In a bid to restart the league under a fresh new look, Premier Basketball Ltd., a consortium of the previous teams competing in the British Basketball League, secured a new three-year licence to begin the SLB.
Manchester now joins teams from Bristol, Cheshire, Leicester, London, Newcastle, Sheffield, Scotland and Surrey for the new league season that is expected to start in September.
SLB Interim Chairman, Vaughn Millette, welcomed the arrival of Sherwood Family Investment Office’s purchase of the Manchester franchise and spoke on the long-term goals for the league in the coming years.
Millette stated: “We are pleased to be able to welcome new ownership into the league with Sherwood Family Investment Office securing the Manchester franchise; and Lithuanian tech-group Tesonet, shareholder of leading EuroLeague organisation Žalgiris Kaunas, successfully completing the purchase of London Lions.
“Our focus is to strategically grow this league with sustainable and secure partners. The consortium of clubs has been impressed by the international attention we have attracted since being awarded the men’s professional licence by our governing body, the British Basketball Federation.
“The process for securing franchises for this inaugural season is now complete. We are delighted that there is further competition for franchises for the 2025/26 season, and we will be announcing the formal franchise expansion process during the forthcoming season. Thank you to all the fans for their patience. We can’t wait to welcome you to Super League Basketball.”
