ONE of the most proactive figures in domestic basketball has promised to usher in a new era of expansion, community development and cooperation with the sport's governing body.

Newcastle's Managing Director, Paul Blake, has succeeded Vince Macaulay as the new chairman of the British Basketball League with a wide-ranging remit for change.

But at the forefront of Blake's blueprint for the future is ensuring the BBL works hand in hand with English Basketball and, in the future, Great Britain Basketball in laying the foundations for a successful national team.

"Everybody is talking about the Commonwealth Games in March and it is our role as the basketball's professional league in this country to support and encourage the national team," said an owner fully committed to developing domestic talent.

"After Australia we see the BBL working closely with EB and GBB towards progress in the European Championships and, ultimately, the Olympic Games. This work has already begun with the reformation of the EB / BBL Joint Development Committee this Autumn".

"As owners we have already agreed for many of our best players to be released from club commitments so that they can contribute to a successful England team. That spirit of cooperation will continue."

Blake has made a point of peppering Newcastle's double-winning roster with homegrown talent and is dedicated to increasing the proportion of talented English players across the BBL.

Macaulay steps down after a three-year tenure to concentrate his own efforts on developing the sport's community and commercial base. The Milton Keynes chief who has seen the BBL through it's toughest period in 19 years, will move the Lions to a new 5,000-capacity venue in the near future and further cement the club's thriving community development programme as featured on UKTV Sport earlier this month.

"Vince and I share the same desire to grow our sport at every level, from grassroots to the national team," added Blake. "It is also vital that we expand the membership of the governing body. These are exciting times for basketball in Britain and at the BBL we aim to be at the forefront of this ear of change."

Blake will work alongside the BBL's new vice chair Sarah Backovic, General Manager of the Westfield Sharks, in seeking to progress basketball's professional league prior to, and beyond, the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Newcastle's MD took over the ailing Eagles as part of a management buy-out team in 1999 and the North East franchise claimed both the BBL Trophy and the BBL Playoff Championship crown last season.