The British Basketball League is delighted to share its new formats for the 2023-24 season, which will guarantee Eagles fans two more home games.
Regular season competition will make its return on the weekend of Thursday 14 September when each team will play each other four times, twice at home and twice away, over a 36-game season.
As in previous years, at the end of the season the winning team will be crowned champions and the top eight teams progress to the post-season Play-Offs.
Moving forward, the Trophy will be condensed into one single month of January during a break in the regular season fixture list.
An open draw will split all 10 British Basketball League teams into two groups of five and the clubs in each group will play each other once from the weekend of Thursday 4 January, with the top two from each progressing.
These changes confirm that our 2023-24 BBL season ticket holders will get even more value from a guaranteed total of 20 home games in the forthcoming schedule with the 18 Championship and two Trophy group stage tip-offs.
A double-header Trophy semi-final follows the group stages before the final held at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Sunday 29 January.
The new 2023-24 season format sees the introduction of an All-Star Game taking place in March as a single match exhibition showcasing the very best of British Basketball League talent in a North vs South showdown.
In the All-Star Game, three regular format quarters will be topped off by a final quarter played under Elam Ending rules, with a target score to reach rather than playing against the buzzer. The target score is determined by adding 20 to the leading team’s score at the end of the 3rd. The winner is the first to reach that score.
Fans will be able to vote for the players they want to see feature in the game, with each British Basketball League club being represented with at least one player.
The Play-Offs continue as the British Basketball League’s premier post-season tournament, but with a big change for the 2023-24 season switching to a Best Of 3 game series for the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
The top eight teams from the regular season will be seeded based on their finishing position. Should a lower-seed team knock out a higher seed over the Best Of 3, they will claim their higher seed position through to the Final.
The Final remains a single winner-takes-all game at the O2 Arena in London.
“We’re really pleased to be launching new formats for the 23-24 season, which I know will excite British Basketball fans”, said Aaron Radin, British Basketball League’s CEO.
“We wanted to ensure the format of the season was clearer for our clubs, partners and fans to follow, ensuring that all the thrilling action flowed throughout the season.
“The reintroduction of an All-Star game will be an amazing showcase of the sensational talent we have in the British Basketball League and adds another landmark moment into the basketball calendar.
“It’s been an incredible year for the league and we’re only going to continue to grow in the season’s ahead.”
The Women’s British Basketball League will follow a very similar formats structure as the men’s league, with clubs facing off twice throughout the course of the Championship season.
“It is brilliant to be working in tandem with the men’s league, so we can all capitalise on the monumental growth the sport continues to see in the UK”, added Jim Saker, Women’s British Basketball League Chairman.
British Basketball League fans should stay tuned throughout the summer for exciting announcements ahead of the new season.
Dates for all fixtures will be confirmed during the summer ahead of the return of another thrilling campaign of basketball action.
Newcastle Eagles BBL and WBBL 2023-24 season tickets are available now with our Early Bird offer on until the end of May.
