In episode 115 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Pete Taylor (Chair) and Josh Merrington (GM) of the Milton Keynes Breakers basketball club.

Over the past seven years, Breakers have gone from 40 kids to over a 1000, while adding a Senior National League side that has got promoted every year and will be in Division 1 next season.

Not only that, but they've built a large fan base - with over 400 travelling to the National Cup Finals in January - and a thriving business, set to turnover more than £500,000 this year.

Timestamps:

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:06 Introduction and Background
02:42 History of the Club
06:34 Impact of COVID-19
08:50 Expanding the Club and Community Support
11:15 Promoting the Club and Building Relationships
14:51 Developing Talent and Player Pathway
25:30 Retaining Players and Life After Basketball
32:43 Payment Structure and Off-Court Development
33:00 Club Budget and Financial Prudence
36:44 Generating Revenue and Managing Costs
41:30 Grant Funding and Sponsorship
46:30 Importance of Digital Presence
52:07 Future Growth and Expansion
57:05 Facility Development and Expansion
59:56 Potential for BBL and WBBL Franchise

For episode 115 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Sevenoaks Suns coach and owner Len Busch.

The Suns, one of the most successful WBBL franchises and at the forefront of youth female basketball development pulled out of the top-flight this off-season due to ‘untenable’ costs.

In this hour long episode we go in depth with Len on the behind the scenes running of the club, and why financially it did not make sense for the Suns to continue.

For episode 114 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Caledonia Gladiators owner Steve Timoney.

Timoney and his wife Alison – who also own the Gladiators’ WBBL franchise – took over the BBL club just before the start of this season and are self financing the project they consider to be part of their legacy.

With a net worth estimated at anywhere between £60 million and £100 million they have lofty ambitions for the club which include a £20million facility project, announced last month.

In this hour long episode we speak to Steve about his business background, how he got involved with basketball, and his plans for the franchise which they are aiming to be a powerhouse in British basketball for years to come.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:42 Interview start
03:03 How he first got involved with basketball
09:06 Steve’s business background
12:41 If you want to turn a large fortune into a small fortune buy a sports team
16:41 The low hanging fruit to make the business work when Steve took over
24:26 Spending £20million on a 6000 seat arena and 5 court training facility
31:26 How the £20million is being financed for the facility
33:31 How to get a return on the £20million investment
36:47 Interactions with 777 and other franchises
44:11 We want to be the second biggest league in the world outside of the NBA
48:00 The challenges with getting the mainstream media to cover basketball
52:53 Building out the front office of the Caledonia Gladiators and the necessary head count
56:16 How much Steve is involved operationally at the moment
57:46 Can Scotland support another professional basketball franchise?