Leicester Basketball Club is delighted to announce a new sponsorship deal with Jelson Homes. Coupled with the tremendous response from the club's fans, the deal secures Riders' participation in this season's BBL and gives a solid base to build a secure future.

The deal will see the club called the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders for the 2007/08 season.

The club had a fantastic response from the supporters at a meeting on Tuesday night and, as well as their pledges of help and support, they also played a significant part in securing the deal with Jelson.

"We recently became aware of the Riders plight and wanted to see how we could help," explained Jelson's Managing Director Robert Jelley. "When we came to the fans' meeting and saw the dedication and commitment of the Riders supporters we couldn't wait to get involved. We saw what this team means to the community and wanted to be a part of it."

The deal, one of the most financially substantial in the club's history, will allow for the establishment of a community development programme which is integral to the long-term future of the club.

"This has turned out to be a fantastic week for the club," said spokesman Mike Steptoe. "The response we got from our supporters has been brilliant and we will continue to need that commitment from them in the year ahead. And the deal with Jelson Homes is probably one of the most significant in the club's 40-year history, we're really excited about the partnership with them."

The club is also delighted to that it has almost hit its target of season ticket sales thanks to an overwhelming response from the supporters in the last three days.

Founded in Leicester in 1889, Jelson has established an enviable reputation as one of the UK's leading privately owned construction companies. As one of the City's oldest employers, Jelson recognises the importance of stability in the local community and the majority of the Company's employee base is drawn from the Leicester area.

Over 200 of the firm's workforce have achieved more than 25 years of continual service and it is not unusual for several generations of the same family to be employed by the company at any one time. Jelson are delighted to be associated with the DMU Leicester Riders, the oldest and indeed the only remaining founder member of the National League and are thrilled to be a part of the club's long term plans to engage with the community through their local schools development programme.

The Riders can now set about assembling a side to take on the new campaign which begins in a month's time.

The DMU Leicester Riders, the most established club in the history of professional basketball in the UK, are urgently calling for the support of their fans and the local community in the face of imminent potential demise.

A fans' meeting has been called for Tuesday 28th August at 7pm in the Tigers Bar at the Leicester Tigers ground. The meeting will be chaired by Mark Ellis and representatives from the club and the British Basketball League will be in attendance. All supporters, potential partners, and interested parties are encouraged to attend.

The British Basketball League has taken a central role in efforts to save the club, providing advice and hands on assistance, but a more active contribution from interested parties in the local community is being sought in order to carry the club forward to a long and prosperous future within the BBL. The meeting will be a platform for such parties to signal their intentions and for potential solutions to be aired.

Unless the present situation at the Riders is improved upon, and an adequate route forward is found, by Friday 31st August, then the club will be forced to withdraw from the British Basketball League and Leicester will lose BBL basketball for the first time in twenty-one years.

Basketball in the UK is on an upward curve, with short-term survival likely to lead to a prosperous future for the East Midlands club as they look to establish community roots and secure investment in accordance with the growing position of the sport within the UK's sporting landscape. The BBL has recently grown to thirteen teams, with the majority of clubs now boasting hugely successful community programmes and recent large investments from corporate partners.

The club has also been a bastion for the city of Leicester, and an important part of the sporting landscape in a city that also includes highly successful professional teams in rugby, football, and cricket.