Dear Eagles family,
We hope you are well and staying safe at this very difficult period.
Now that the BBL season has been officially postponed and WBBL games cancelled for the remainder of 2019-20, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the whole Eagles organisation has entered a very challenging time and we really need everyone’s support.
Once the leagues released their respective statements on Tuesday we began the process of assessing how those decisions affect all of our Eagles family – the club, foundation, arena, staff, players, fans, volunteers, visitors and the wider community.
This morning we called on our basketball community for its support through this very tough time for the Eagles, which now faces big challenges, in common with many professional sports clubs.
Following Government advice and the decisions taken by both the leagues and Basketball England, all activity at the Eagles Community Arena has now halted, as well as all outreach work delivered by our Eagles Community Foundation, a registered charity which also owns and operates the arena.
Whilst these necessary measures are in place the club and foundation will be receiving no income from tickets sales, coaching sessions and many other revenue streams until further notice which will have an impact on the whole Eagles organisation and the venue’s future.
Funds for basketball in the UK are extremely limited. Unlike other team sports we rely wholly on ticket income, merchandising sales and sponsorship to fund the team for a season.
Supporters have been asking how they can help and we hope that in this extraordinary situation our fans will stay behind us, as they always have done, and continue to be the best fans in British basketball when we ask for their support over the difficult weeks and months ahead.
We have pulled together answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from some of our customers and fans below, but please don’t hesitate to reach out to us by emailing [email protected] if there is anything we haven’t covered.
We take everyone’s health, safety and wellbeing seriously and we will continue to take guidance from Public Health England, the Government and the basketball community.
Our website and social media channels will remain updated with any further announcements as the situation develops.
We would like to thank you for your understanding and all the support so far.
Stay safe, stay healthy and take care of each other,
Paul, Sam and everyone at the Eagles
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will I get a refund on an individual BBL game ticket?
The BBL season is currently postponed, not cancelled, and therefore tickets remain valid for the rearranged games against the originally scheduled opposition.
In the event that these games do not go ahead we will give individual game ticket holders box office gift certificates to the value of their tickets. This credit can be used on the box office against ticket purchases in the 2020-21 season.
Will I get a refund on a BBL season ticket?
As with individual game tickets, while the BBL season is postponed, not cancelled, season ticket cards remain valid for the rearranged games against the originally scheduled opposition.
In the event that these games do not go ahead we will be giving free entry to all 2020-21 pre-season home games to our 2019-20 season card holders, to welcome back everyone supporting us through this challenging period.
Will I get a refund on an individual WBBL game or season ticket?
The WBBL season has been cancelled following the league’s decision on Tuesday this week meaning that these games will no longer go ahead.
We are asking all WBBL ticket holders to please consider holding on to their existing ticket purchases and allow us to exchange them for entry to fixtures in the 2020-21 season.
If you would still like to apply for a refund we ask if you can please email [email protected] and we will aim to respond to enquiries as soon as possible while staff, working remotely, continue to manage the club through these unprecedented circumstances.
Can I visit the club shop?
Online, yes. The club shop remains open online as always and we appreciate your custom to help us through the short-term uncertainty.
We aim to get orders out as soon as possible, but dispatching of packages may be subject to delay, given the period we are going through.
VISIT THE CLUB SHOP ONLINE NOW
As per Government advice the arena and therefore the club shop itself are closed to visitors until further notice and order collection is no longer available. If you have an existing order to collect please send a message to the shop with your order number and we will make further arrangements.
What about group bookings and party packages?
Customers with group bookings or any of our party packages for the postponed BBL fixtures are being contacted by the club office with details about rearranging them for future fixtures.
Can I do anything else to help the Eagles?
This situation is also severely affecting the Eagles Community Foundation, which is a registered charity. The impending closure of the foundation’s subsidiary Eagles Community Arena will have an impact on both the foundation and the venue’s future.
There are a number of ways you can help our foundation. If you are able to, any donations, big or small, would be a huge help to our foundation at this tough time and they can be made online:
MAKE A DONATION TO OUR FOUNDATION
You can also purchase a brick in the ‘Wall of Fame’ or a stone on the ‘Walk of Fame’ at the Eagles Community Arena: