How do you announce, to an unsuspecting world, the launch of a brand new professional league, aimed at maximising the playing and spectating potential of basketball in the UK?

With a huge fanfare? With a press launch at which you introduce the big name teams, and high-profile individuals who have signed up to this nirvana? With a website that is crammed full of all the details of the excitement that will be on offer in the coming season?

Well, er, no, not quite. You put out a press release, without warning, which would only catch a sports' journalists' attention in the depth of the summer, when they're desperate for something about which to write. You then reveal just one name that has so far committed to the enterprise ... the mighty Coventry Crusaders, riding the crest of a wave of success, in ninth place in division 1 of the EBL.

That strikes me as rather like announcing a new football league in the UK, and proudly unveiling Doncaster Rovers as your first recruit. The again, perhaps not ... Rovers have just moved into a brand new stadium!

Oh yes, and the website to back-up all this unrestrained excitement? It's at www.bbauk.com, and consists of a title page with an apology for the fact that the site is in process of construction?

Coventry Crusaders To Join New Basketball League

(Coventry, England – January 15, 2007) The Coventry Crusaders Basketball Club has announced today it has accepted an invitation to join the newly-formed British Basketball Association (BBA). The club, which was formed in 1992, will represent the City of Coventry when the league begins its inaugural season this autumn.

The Crusaders have competed in Division 1 of the England Basketball League (EBL) for 14 out of the last 15 years. The move to the BBA represents a significant step up for the club who cites marketing, sponsorship and financial support as key factors. “As a club, we are excited about the opportunity to partner with the founders of the BBA”, said Crusaders owner, Dip Donaldson. “Their experience and contacts combined with our knowledge of the basketball market in Coventry will enable us to deliver a competitive club along with first-class entertainment”.

Coventry is the eighth largest city in England and has a population of over 300,000 representing an important market for the BBA. The Crusaders currently play their home matches in the 1000 seat Coventry Sports Centre, and will move to a bigger facility in the near future. “Coventry is a fantastic sports market with excellent facilities which will be key to the growth of the Crusaders franchise”, said BBA Chief Executive, Ron Scott. “We look forward to working closely with Dip during the induction phase and he has our full support”.

The Crusaders will become a BBA Full Franchise member and shareholder upon final approval by the BBA franchise committee.

The BBA, based in London and New York, was formed last year by a consortium of British and American businessmen including technology entrepreneur Ken Olisa and former Los Angeles Laker AC Green.

Since few people outside the chatroom junkies, who've been debating the background to the BBA issue for the past year or so, will have much idea what this is all about, it seems to stem from the interest shown last season by A.C.Green, the ex-NBA superstar, and his backers in investing in the BBL.

Discussions got as far as a fairly detailed proposal being put to the BBL board (i.e. the Clubs) by the potential investors, but they were turned down by that board, and, to my knowledge, the current proposals have no support from either the BBL or EB.

While there are some voices who have been looking forward to details of the proposed BBA, believing that the game needs (another) shake-up, I have always been rather more sceptical. Remember all the previous "new era" dawns, which were going to propel us to the promised land? The television contract with Channel 4, in the '80s? The breakaway of the division 1 teams from EBBA control, to form the BBL? The Arena-led revolution of the '90s? The "everyone will have their own purpose-built stadium" dream of the late '90s? Remember them? I can even remember almost believing the hype at the time!

Forgive me if I sound like an old cynic (it's quite a few years since I used to sound like a young cynic), but if this initiative is being carried forward against the opposition of the existing basketball structures I can foresee only three possible outcomes.

Either the BBA will flourish, and the existing organisations will be marginalised to such an extent that they virtually wither away (taking with them a great many disaffected fans, enthusiasts and volunteers); or BBL and EB will continue to thrive (relatively speaking), and the venture capitalists behind the new organisation (who, after all, venture their capital in order to generate a return) will look elsewhere for an investment opportunity; or the BBL and/or EB hinder the BBA sufficiently for it to fail to take off fully, but it will make enough impact to damage the existing structure.

When you consider that this first announcement by BBA has appeared just before the publication of the Sport England Mallin Review, announcing plans for the future structure and development of the sport in the country, the timing could hardly be worse! At a time when we seem to be on the verge of settling the long-running problems of having two organisations running basketball in this country we really need a third one thrown into the equation, don't we!